August 10: Philly home prices reach all-time high | Rizzo statue | Delivery robots

Kevin Gillen’s quarterly report on the Philadelphia housing market shows home prices and sales volumes have hit another all-time high, reports Melissa Romero. Housing prices increased 6.2% overall in the second quarter, and all sub-markets saw price increases. The top three fastest appreciating sub-markets were University City, West Philly, and North Philly.

Broad Street South Associates LP, an affiliate of the Goldenberg Group, purchased the World Communications Charter School’s building at South and Broad for $10 million, Jacob Adelman reports. Their spokesperson says WCCS has the option to continue leasing space in the building “for several years.”

PennDOT is offering new specialty license plates that promote Pennsylvania’s four-foot passing law for passing cyclists.

Black Lives Matter activist Erica Mines started a petition to remove the Frank Rizzo statue from the front steps of the Municipal Services Building, Jared Brey reports. The statue was privately commissioned and financed by the late Mayor’s friends and family, and was dedicated in 1998.  Mines argues that Rizzo’s political appeal stems chiefly from his harsh treatment of people of color as police commissioner in the 1970’s, making him a poor symbol for a city administration that is nominally committed to advancing racial justice and inclusion. 

Washington, DC will be the first U.S. city to test a European company’s delivery robots on public sidewalks. “The robots are already roaming in the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland, delivering packages — and sometimes hot food — to customers’ doorsteps.”