Vacant industrial puzzles | Hunting Park honored | beautiful Boyd | clearing wrongful L&I violations | Marina View redo

The city has thousands of vacant, old industrial properties that are simultaneously keys to neighborhood revitalization and impediments. Today’s Inquirer tours some of these properties in Kensington, Frankford, and Port Richmond, tracing the difficulty even diligent property owners have in keeping buildings sealed and pursuing redevelopment.

The City Parks Alliance has named Hunting Park a “Frontline Park,” in recognition of its community-driven revitalization and its excellence as an urban park, Philebrity reports.

The beautiful Boyd Theater has been closed for ten years now, but its interiors are still fabulous. Hidden City Daily shows a peek inside the Boyd, refreshing our memories about the Art Deco finishes, and how this place is just waiting for a sensitive redevelopment plan.

What happens when L&I issues you violations for a house you don’t own? City Howl has the strange tale of Elizabeth Simmons, a Southwest Philly resident, who had to navigate a maze of city departments trying to clear her name of violations on a property she never owned. Until Simmons involved Councilwoman Blackwell’s office, L&I never bothered to tell her that they fixed the problem. Key complication: A different Elizabeth Simmons owned the house with violations.

The Planning Commission had little love for the conceptual plans of Marina View Towers presented yesterday, reports PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates. Commissioners want to see improvements to the building’s materials, large retaining wall, street presence, pedestrian connectivity, height and more.

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