New bike lanes for Market; Year-round school?; Missing at DiNic’s and Dalessandro’s | Morning roundup

Curb-protected bike lanes planned for Market Street in Old City

New bike lanes slated for both sides of Market Street in Old City will be Philly’s first to have a true curb-protected design. 

• An overhaul of the Historic District “gateway” has been in planning for a few years, to make the corridor more people-friendly. It’ll reduce car traffic lanes, and add sidewalk bumpouts. 

East Market is just one of several bike lane projects around the city that are about to launch or are in advanced planning stages, Meir Rinde reports. 

Requiem for the counter seating at DiNic’s and Dalessandro’s

Grabbing a stool to place and enjoy your order was one of the best ways to experience some of Philly’s most famous sandwich shops.

• But counter service is no longer an option at DiNic’s in Reading Terminal Market and Dalessandro’s in Roxborough, after disappearing during the pandemic.

Both restaurant owners told freelance reporter Dan Packel his beloved seats could eventually return — but for now, it just doesn’t make sense.

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• Billions in opioid settlement funds are coming to Pa., and the distribution plan gives county government officials control over 70%, with another 15% to the state legislature, and 15% to local governments that initiated their own legal actions (like Philly). [Spotlight PA/Tribune$/WHYY] 

• In the battle for District 8 City Council seat, incumbent Cindy Bass declared herself the winner yesterday. With all divisions recorded, she led challenger Seth Anderson-Oberman 50.7% to 49.2%, a margin of 401 votes. There is no threshold that triggers an automatic recount, per Deputy City Commissioner Nick Custodio. [Billy Penn/Chestnut Hill Local]

• Political campaigns are supposed to remove signage post-election, but the Streets Department is gearing up for the task anyway. Local fabricator TinyWPA collects the coroplast and turns it into art. [Axios/TinyWPA]

• Year-round school is something Democratic mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker talked up on the campaign trail, and now it’ll be included in Supt. Tony Watlington’s five-year agenda. The School Board votes on the plan next week. [NBC10/KYW] 

• Philly’s new Landlord Gateway Program aims to be a “one-stop shop”  for property owners, where they can access rental licenses, assessments, affordable housing programs, and eviction diversion information. [WHYY’s PlanPhilly] 

• FIFA unveiled the World Cup 2026 Philadelphia branding, featuring neon green art on a blue background. There’s also a slogan (which might sound familiar to Penn Staters): “We Are Philadelphia™” — with associated hashtags #WeArePhilly and #WeAre26. [CBS3/@FWC26Philly] 

MAYOR WATCH: May 20, 2023

It’s the 100th anniversary of Tacony’s Hamilton Disston Elementary School, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and Mayor Kenney joins a celebration featuring student artwork and remarks (1 p.m.).

ON THE CALENDAR

🏺  Find food, folk dancing, and fun at the Upper Darby Greek Festival, just outside the city at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. (11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday and 12 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 20-21) 

🎨 The Trans Art Market returns to the Bok’s west gym, with artwork and wares from dozens of local trans, non-binary, and gender expansive creators and makers. (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 21)