Next week in Frankford

• On Saturday the 10th at Mater Dolorosa - 6PM - Monte Carlo night - night at the races
• On Tuesday the 13th - at the Historical Society of Frankford - 7:30 PM - Program - Norman Satchell presents a slide slow of "Colonial Philadelphia" Independence Hall
  

Frankford Real Estate Trend

Our friends at the Cartographic Modeling Lab at the U of Penn have updated the neighborhoodBase with sales data from 2006. We all know that 2006 was not a terrific year but Frankford did not do all that bad.

The median sales price of properties sold in 2006 was up $7,000 over 2005 ($72,000 versus $65,000). At the same time the median price for the city overall dropped from $86,000 to $81,000. This is using data for Frankford defined by the U of Penn which can be found on the neighborhoodBase web site.

If you focus on zip code 19124 the result was even more impressive. The 2005 median price was $72,500 which increased in 2006 to $79,000.

Not everyone will see this as good news. With the change in real estate valuation on the horizon this may not be the best time to have your home value increase. But the increase we are seeing is at best the market catching up to the fact we all know, that this is a good place to live and has tremendous potential for the future.

The instability of oil prices will likely give pause to those thinking of moving far out of the city to be locked into a long commute to work. Where better to situate yourself than at a major transportation hub within the city.

Where better then Frankford.

"Illegal" meeting votes out president of East Frankford Civic Assoc.

This article from the Northeast Times summarizes the proceedings.

Walkability

I found this link on the Philadelphia Bicycle News site today. Enter your address and then get a rating for how walkable your location is. We are blessed in Frankford with a high walkability index. Now enter the addresses of your family and friends and compare. One of the many benefits of living in Frankford.

Frankford Home of the Week

I found this one a few weeks ago on Duffield Street. There is a nice little garden in front and the sidewalk is spotless.

Next week in Frankford

• Sunday the 4th -Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House - Noon - Presentation at 1:00 PM: Women of the North &; South in the Civil War"; Carol Neumann, R.N., M.S. Union League FREE and open to the public G.A.R. Civil War Museum &; Library 4278 Griscom St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 215-204-5452
• Sunday the 4th - Historical Society of Frankford - 1 to 4PM - Open Houses are held the first Sunday of each month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and offers members and interested guests the opportunity to learn about the area’s rich history. Closed January, February, July, August and September.
• Tuesday the 6th - Election day - Please vote
• Thursday the 8th - 7PM - Northwood Neighbors Association Meeting - Simpson Playground

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

The article in the Northeast Times this week made reference to a bill submitted by council people Savage, Krajewski and DiCicco. Our friends at Hallwatch.org have provided a link to the entire text of the bill.

The bill first defines Transit-Oriented Development as "encourages mixed-use, higher-density development near transit stations." It then goes on to enumerate very detailed changes to the zoning code to implement this type of development.

The second part of the bill designates Frankford Avenue from Cheltenham Avenue to the Frankford Creek as the Frankford Transit-Oriented Development District.

It is not extremely long and with some patience you can make some sense of it, so take a look.

You might also take a look at this wikipedia entry and this site to for some additional information.