1,000+ new homes near proposed arena? | Real Estate Newsletter

The city of Philadelphia is deep into a debate about whether a new Sixers arena should go up downtown. Included in that proposal is the potential construction of more than 1,000 homes, which also are under discussion.

The Sixers first proposed a 395-unit tower above the arena. But plans that Philly Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration unveiled last week mention another 720 homes nearby.

Keep scrolling for that story and the rest of this week’s edition:

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More than 1,000 homes could be coming at and around a Sixers arena that might be built in Center City.

Uncertainty is the name of the game right now, as developers and city officials continue to hash out what will come of the Sixers’ proposals.

And those proposals continue to evolve. Now, the Sixers’ development plans include 720 new homes on Market Street, to be added in phases.

Meanwhile, the Sixers’ earlier plan to include housing in a tower above the arena might not happen.

The City Councilmember for the area, Mark Squilla, said Chinatown neighborhood groups see the 395-unit tower as “a middle finger to Chinatown.” To them, it’s a concession that has little value and is being used to win approval for the arena, which they strongly oppose.

Squilla said he’s working with the developers to cut the tower from the plan.

Keep reading to learn more about how homes fit into the arena proposal and about a separate plan to put a hotel nearby at the site of the so-called Disney Hole.

We all know being able to afford a home can be hard here and across the country. That’s especially true as prices keep rising.

Redfin, the online real estate brokerage, periodically measures the annual income that households need to comfortably afford a typical home for sale. In some places, that income stayed about the same or dropped this August from the same time last year. Nationwide, the amount a household needs to make decreased.

But our area wasn’t so lucky. Redfin looked at the 50 most populous metros and found that the income needed to buy a home increased the most in the region defined as Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. Needed income was up 6%.

Local homebuyers had to spend more than a third of their incomes to afford monthly payments on the typical home for sale in August.

Check out how the Philadelphia area compares with other places and the country as a whole, and see just how much local homebuyers needed to make to afford the typical home for sale in August.

The right frames can really elevate the artwork you have in your home.

Most of the art I have either is a canvas print or came with a frame. But one large painting of a woman reading that I found online years ago didn’t include one.

I didn’t know much about framing, but one of my best friends used to work for Michaels, so I knew I could take my painting to a store for a custom frame. I spent more than I thought I would (I didn’t know what to expect.), but the painting looks great.

If you’re looking to get some framing done, you should know that prices and services can vary a lot from place to place. To help you out, Inquirer readers have free access to ratings of some local framing shops for the next month.

Keep reading to see those ratings and get some tips for professional and DIY framing.

The formal dining room. Wasn’t that one of the many things that news articles claimed millennials were “killing”?

But folks across generations are using their dining rooms less than they were decades ago.

Michele and Phil Murphy (the parents of three millennials) realized their family rarely used theirs in the house they built in 2003. So they wanted to do something else with the space.

They ended up turning the dining room into a music room, since their sons and some of Phil’s family members play instruments. They gave the space a lounge vibe with a chaise, artwork, and drapes.

Besides creating the music room, the Murphys completely redecorated the living and family rooms in a home transformation in 2022.

Peek inside the Murphys’ home to see the final product and learn how they use their spaces inside and out.

Time is running out to enjoy the rides at Ocean City’s beloved Gillian’s Wonderland Pier. The amusement park is closing, and the developer who bought it is considering his options for the site, assessed at $12.7 million.

Question: When is the park’s scheduled last day?

A) Oct. 6

B) Oct. 13

C) Oct. 27

D) Nov. 3

This story has the answer.

Do you know the location this photo shows?

📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.

Last week’s photo was taken at the corner of 11th and Spring Garden Streets. Shout out to Candis P. and Melissa C. for getting that right.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

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