2831 W Girard Construction Progress In Photos

Ever wondered what it looked like to install a new set of stairs? It's just 3 easy steps (well, the pros make it look easy, at least).

Sorry, Aaron, But This Does Count Towards Your 15 Minutes of Fame...

This just in: MM Partners very talented Director of Property Management, Aaron Smith, is having a brief moment of Philberity. Check out his only-in-Philadelphia camera phone pic. Link.

Zoning Approval = Coffee? Yep!

Fantastic news this afternoon: Mugshots CoffeeHouse received zoning approval to open at 2831 W Girard Ave! Look for the opening in the spring or early summer. Thanks to everyone who came out to support the application, we can't emphasize our appreciation enough. A special thanks to the good posters at Philadelphia Speaks, who helped spread the word.

USA Is On The Verge Of A Housing Shortage (I kid you not)

According to Brian Wesbury, chief economist at First Trust Advisors, says that if Americans don’t start focusing on building new houses, the market will have a much bigger problem on its hands. In a recent Forbes Magazine article Brian states:

"We need one and a half million houses per year just to keep up with population growth," Wesbury said in an interview with Steve Forbes. "And then if you throw in, you know, fires and tear-downs and just worn-out properties, we need 1.6 million or more per year. Right now, we’re down to about six and a half, seven months’ inventory whether you look at new homes or existing homes."

MM Partners Loves Urban Farming - Brewerytown needs some farms

MM Partners really likes the concept of urban farming and believes its a great use for vacant land for many reasons:

• better use of vacant land
• better for storm water run off
• return tax delinquent properties to tax rolls
• great way to redevelop fringe neighborhoods where there are an abundance of scary, overgrown lots currently used for short dumping and who knows what else
• who wouldnt want a farm as a neighbor to look out at?
• creates local jobs
• introduce better fresh foods into many neighborhoods

The list could go on and on, but the bottom line is Philadelphia is a great place for urban farming. There are a number people throughout the area already doing it, here a few great links:

http://urbandirection.blogspot.com/2010/02/urban-farming-links.html
http://era-errant.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-agventure.html

Brewerytown is an ideal neighborhood to try this out, we would welcome anyone interested to contact us.

Mural Art Programs' Love Letters Valentines Weekend

MM Partners strongly supports the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and their many amazing programs. We recently turned one of our storefronts over to them to put on an art show featuring local artists. While we are not directly involved in the Love Letters exhibit we think it's amazing and will certainly be at the opening this Friday. Here is a link to coverage on the Cool Hunting blog. Link to Love Letters website.

San Francisco Gets $19 Million For Energy Efficiency

San Francisco just created a $19m program to promote energy efficiency. The program creates funding for energy efficiency programs through the San Francisco Energy Watch program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Great program as it creates jobs while improving energy efficiency which will save money over the long haul.

Full Story at Matternetwork.

Finally! Good Coffee in Brewerytown!

MM Partners is pleased to announce that Mugshot's CoffeeHouse & Cafe is joining the retail renaissance on W. Girard Avenue in Brewerytown. They will be opening their third location in a property of ours located at 2831 W. Girard Avenue. 2831 W. Girard Avenue is a historic building that is currently undergoing a full gut renovation, and is conveniently next door to the West Girard Rita's Water Ice. We are preserving the historic character of the building, while upgrading and modernizing the interiors. The Mugshots space features the original late 1880's vaulted plaster ceiling, restored original wood floors and a large landscaped rear garden for outdoor seating. Above Mugshots will be three one-bedroom units (one bi-level) all with original wood floors, open floor plans, European-style kitchens, washer/dryer’s, dishwashers and ton’s of light. To learn more, please check out the links below:

Philly.com (Michael Klein's Insider blog)
Foobooz
The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Retooling Industrial Sites Exhibit

Retooling Industrial Sites Exhibit

Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA

Join us for a First Friday reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibit on February 5 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Retooling Industrial Sites showcases the work of over 30 design firms in transforming old industrial sites back to productive use and features inventive examples from Philadelphia and cities across the country. The exhibit is intended as a forum for the growing interest in industrial sites and urban manufacturing and the important role of design in making industry a positive part of urban neighborhoods.

The projects selected for the exhibit represent a diverse mix of built and un-built work from warehouse conversions to brownfield redevelopment to neighborhood master plans which include new factories, office space, schools, housing, interpretive historical sites, and mixed-use development. Also on view, will be a series of Jacob Hellman photographs, featuring vacant Philadelphia factories.