Weekly E-Newsletter
Our Sponsors:
William Penn House
Southern Land Company
AMC Delancey
Clemens Construction
Robin Apartments
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News and Updates
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Neighborhood Feedback: Airbnb, VRBO, & Co
CCRA
is investigating the role short term rental companies, such asAirBnB,
VRBO, etc., play in our neighborhood. In 2015, following the Pope's
visit to Philadelphia, City Council enacted Bill No. 150441-A to
clarify our regulations on short-term rentals under the "Hotel Room
Rental Tax." Under this ordinance, short term rentals here are limited
to 91 days occupancy per year (out of 180 days offered) in
owner-occupied residences (that occupied by the owner for at least 180
days/year), with common kitchens and bathrooms, and may not adversely
change the residential character of a building or neighborhood.
Done
properly, proponents say AirBnB etc. offer alternatives for the
traveling public, especially those who need full kitchen/laundry
facilities; provide travelers a more authentic local experience and
enable residents with space to earn extra income.
However, commercial
providers -- e.g., individuals and businesses, lease apartments or buy
homes just to rent them out as rooms to individuals or groups. Critics
say that these operations are unregulated rooming houses & hotels,
violating local ordinances designed to protect both renters and
neighbors and creating unfair competition for the hospitality industry.
A
quick perusal of short-term rental sites such as AirBnb reveals several
rooms, apartments and houses available within CCRA boundaries. CCRA would like to hear from our members about your experiences with the short term rental industry. What impacts have you experienced--negative -- or positive-- from short-term rentals in our neighborhood? What do you think? Let us know -- take our survey at http://www.centercityresidents.org/STRentalSurvey/.
Please reply by February 11, 2019. The survey will close on that date.
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CCRA's Final Recommendations of Mayor's Historic Preservation Task Force
CCRA'ville had one of the first
residential historic districts in the City (Rittenhouse/Fitler
Residential Historic District, adopted in 1995), and historic
preservation continues to be an ongoing priority of CCRA. In that
regard, CCRA recently commented on the Final Recommendations of Mayor
Kenney's Historic Preservation Task Force. Although we indicated full
support for the the implementation of recommendations in all eight focus
areas, the majority of our comments concerned the better integration of
historic preservation into the development process of the city,
including a strengthening of neighborhood constituents in protecting
historic resources in their communities. Several CCRA Historic
Preservation committee members actively participated in the development
of the Neighborhood Preservation Toolkit and we support it's publication
and publicity as a citywide resource. For more information, see full
content of the letter here.
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The Bethesda Project Is Looking for Volunteers
They
are in need of three volunteers to help them at the upcoming Community
Life event, Bethesda Games Valentine Edition. This event is taking place
on Thursday, 2/14/19, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm in the community room of
their North Broad residence. Volunteers will help set-up decorations,
run games, serve lunch & snacks, and clean-up. Please let Sarah Erdo know
if you are willing and able to help out with this community building
event. They also need beverages and snacks for this event. Please let
me know if you are able to donate popcorn, potato chips, cheese curls,
and /or soda.
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Help Keep Our Sidewalks Clean
Each year CCRA uses Neighborhood Beautification contributions to
fund a $29,000 contract with the Center City District for sidewalk
cleaning after each weekly trash collection and further to finance our
other aesthetic initiatives - tree planting, historic preservation, the
Schuylkill River Park Community Garden. We would be grateful if you
could contribute a charitable donation to help cover the costs. Click or tap here to donate. If you have already contributed, thank you very much for your generous support.
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Community Events
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Classical Music Concert at the Philadelphia Ethical Society
Fine Art Music Company presents a classical music concert, Sunday, January
27, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Philadelphia Ethical Society,
1906 Rittenhouse Square: "War of the Romantics - Musical Raptures (Part
1)"
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Free Admission To The Museum of American History to all Furloughed Federal Workers
The
Museum of the American Revolution (3rd and Chestnut) is offering free
admission to all furloughed federal workers and three additional guests
throughout the remainder of the partial federal government shutdown.
Federal workers must show valid government ID at the front desk to
redeem the offer.
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CCD Restaurant Week
Center City District Restaurant Week, presented by Maker's Mark Bourbon and El Tesoro Tequila and supported by OpenTable and Lyft, is more popular than ever and is returning in January for nearly two weeks! From
January 13-25, 2019,
more than 115 participating restaurants will serve three-course dinners
for $35 per person and three-course lunches for $20 per person
(excludes tax, gratuity and alcohol). New restaurants for this season
include Bai Wei, Sedition, Mission Taqueria, Giuseppe & Sons, and
Fat Salmon.
Visit CCDRestaurantWeek.com to see the full list of participating restaurants and links to make reservations via OpenTable, and enter for a chance to win a grand prize of dinner once a week for a year at select Center City restaurants and a $500 TD Visa ® gift card valid at any shopping location.
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For more information about neighborhood events, check out CCRA's Community Events Calendar
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Useful Links
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CCRA Merchant Member Discount Program
Support our local merchants and save money too. These local merchants will provide a discount (described here) to any member who shows a current CCRA membership card and personal identification.
Raven Lounge, 1718 Sansom St. (215-840-3577)
Rim's Dry Cleaners & Tailors,2203 South St. (215-546-1889)
Rittenhouse Hardware, 2001 Pine St. (215-735-6311)
Suga Restaurant, 1720 Sansom St. (215-717-8968)
Ursula Hobson Fine Art Framing, 1528 Waverly St (215.546.7889)
Astral Artists - Use promo code "CCRA" to receive a $10 flat rate on all tickets to their concerts.
Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St, (uses separate card, see info here)
Dom's Shoe Repair, 203 S. 20th St (215-972-0098)
Eye Candy Vision, 218 S. 20th St (215-568-3937)
Home Helpers Philly, 1835 S. Broad St., Ste 2 (215-334-2600)
Jason Matthew Salon, 1735 Chestnut St, 2nd Fl (215-665-8030)
Koresh Dance Company, 2002 Rittenhouse Sq St. (267-687-1769)
Nature's Gallery Florist, 2124 Walnut St (215-563-5554)
NextMove Dance - Get $10 off Dance Performances with your CCRA Membership. Members use promo code SAVE10.
Philly Foodworks - Use the code "CCRA" when signing up for home delivery and receive a $20 discount on delivery charges.
Photo Lounge 1909 Chestnut Street (267-322-6651)
Twenty-Two Gallery, 236 S. 22nd St, (215-772-1911)
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