Parking is at a premium in most parts of the city and some suburban urban communities. That’s why many homeowners and renters die for a garage.
But this week, we’ve got an article about how some homeowners are converting their homes into other spaces, like pottery studios, basketball courts, home offices, and more. More and more owners are interested in reusing their garages.
Read the article to see how researchers say Pennsylvania law disproportionately puts Black and Asian American property owners at risk, and to find out how researchers say Pennsylvania’s law disproportionately puts Black and Asian American property owners at risk Take a peek inside the building and see what other readers had to say about last week’s photos. Quizzes and home features that make it easier to host Today’s Holidays.
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— Michael Bond
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Jennifer Baldwin’s homes in Philadelphia’s Pennsport neighborhood both came with attached garages and some didn’t.
That meant her builder built an attached one-car garage. But the builders installed a wall instead of a garage door, so there’s no way to get a car inside.
But Baldwin was OK with that. She turned the space into her pottery studio. That came in very handy when she couldn’t go to a community studio during the pandemic. It worked so well that she cut short her time as a university librarian and started her own ceramics business.
Searches for “garage conversion” have increased this year. Some homeowners choose to completely remodel their garage or convert the area above the garage into another space.
Some examples:
👪In-law’s apartment
🏋️Home gym
⛹️♀️ Basketball court, thanks to Chester County home builders
If you’re interested in remodeling your garage, here’s some inspiration and things you need to know.
No one likes to see plague in their neighborhood. A vacant, decaying property can attract crime and reduce the value of your neighbors’ property, or your home if you have an attachment to it.
Pennsylvania law allows nonprofit organizations to take over, repair and sell dilapidated properties. The organization will receive a large reward and the block will no longer be an eyesore.
But in a new analysis, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Law School find that the law is hurting Black and Asian American property owners and other communities at risk of rising property values and displacing residents. It was found that it was being applied unfairly.
Unintended consequences: “This is despite the law’s intent to ensure development benefits those already living in the area. What is actually happening is in communities already at risk of gentrification. It shows that a petition has been filed,” said Carla McClellan, director of the department. The legal clinic that conducted the analysis.
And the family home is also at risk.
This law can also be used to manage city-owned properties. That’s how Philadelphia developers are now trying to capitalize on it, potentially stabilizing the old Germantown YWCA, which has sat vacant for decades. Another developer plans to turn it into apartments.
Read homeowner stories about how the law applies and what it means for residents.
Latest news of interest
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Pennsylvania is leading the way in expanding savings programs that households receiving rental assistance can use to purchase a home.
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The Philadelphia City Council voted unanimously to ban rooftop decks and limit building height limits in some areas of the city.
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Why a 17-story apartment building near Rittenhouse Square is vacant and covered in graffiti.
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With interest rates high, Philadelphia developers probably won’t build any more big luxury apartment towers anytime soon.
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A Philadelphia City Council president’s effort to help a neighborhood group sued by a developer has found an unlikely ally.
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A Philadelphia real estate entrepreneur who for many years focused on housing for low-income families has died.
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Home of the Week: $680,000 to Media, Colonial center hall with pond.
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Luxury property: A home that was once part of the Joseph Horn mansion is listed for $2.2 million on Fittler Square.
We’ve written a lot about office and factory renovations and why converting these buildings into housing works and doesn’t work. This week’s home tour takes you inside a renovated property in Fishtown.
Memphis Flats is currently a condominium. But around 1900, it was built as a factory to make products such as baseballs, Pepsi-Cola bottles, popcorn, and tires.
This is where Gabe Dolcemore-Weinberg and her husband, Mark Weinberg, currently live with their 15-month-old son and rescue dog. The couple purchased the 1,555-square-foot industrial space in 2019.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo on the building’s fourth floor features high ceilings, cement columns, oversized sliding metal doors, and a wall of windows in the living space.
The home office the couple shares was once an elevator shaft.
Take a peek inside the family’s home to see Gabe’s kitchen designed ‘on the back of a napkin’.
🧠Trivia time
Earlier this year, the city launched its first Philadelphia Tree Planting Plan, with the goal of planting thousands of trees over the next 10 years. A new $12 million federal grant will help get the plan off the ground.
Question: What is the target canopy cover for all neighborhoods?
A) 45%
B) 40%
C) 30%
D) 15%
This story has the answer.
📷 Photo Quiz
The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home on a large lot in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood is currently not for sale. How much does it cost?
📮 If you have a guess, please reply via email.
Shout out to Rachel B. who knew last week’s photo was taken at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. I thought the quiz would be too difficult, but she said, “Those gazebos are everywhere!”
And I would like to send a special shout out to Rob P. He said the Rotunda at the “Lake” (as he called the gazebo and park growing up in South Philadelphia) is traditionally a popular place to take wedding photos. He shared a photo of his parents Dot and Tony there on their wedding day in April 1954.
🏡 YOUR HOME EXPERIENCE
Last week, I asked you what features in your home make it easier to host Thanksgiving today.
Bill G. of Trenton said his family changed from a single wall oven to a double oven when remodeling the kitchen of their 1954 ranch house. Having two makes preparing meals for big holidays, including today, easier.
“It’s a great investment that will serve you year-round,” he said.
Today we are going to have a feast at my uncle and aunt’s house in Jersey. Enjoy your vacation and the rest of your week.
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