#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY
Meditative Furness
(Photo by @karenbenson.eyeful)
Tourism leaders push City Council to oppose Parker’s hotel tax
“If the proposed tax increase is passed and enacted this year, we will be the highest taxed major city on the East Coast,” tourism leaders wrote in a letter to City Council this week.
Parker is proposing a 2% increase to the city’s hotel tax that would generate an estimated $110 million to provide housing for people experiencing homelessness. Continue reading…
Market Street popups give small businesses the spotlight
Six new pop-ups are moving onto the 900 block of Market Street in an effort to showcase small businesses in parts of the city they may not otherwise be able to consider. Meet the local entrepreneurs at a block party this evening.
This initiative is one of many aimed at revitalizing Market East ahead of the America250 celebrations this summer. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Shapiro demands a stop to “excessive” utility rate increases, but has little authority to force change. [Spotlight PA]
• The latest on plans to transform the former Southwest Philly refinery site into a nuclear life science facility, part of the portfolio of Bill Gates. [WHYY]
• A fight over vacant Philly lots is exposing tensions in Mayor Parker’s housing plan. Critics of the Turn the Key program say many residents are priced out of “affordable housing.” [WHYY’s PlanPhily]
• As more people take drugs to reduce their appetite and lose weight, including GLP-1s, some Philly restaurants are beginning to offer smaller portions. [WHYY]
• West Philly rallies to save nearly 1,000 affordable units from market sale across the Haddington, Mantua, Cobbs Creek, and Kingsessing neighborhoods. [West Philly Local]
• It’s peak season for bee swarms and Philadelphia Bee Company is fielding multiple calls per day. [PhillyVoice]
• Philly’s ice cream scene is brimming with variety. So what possibly could a new kid on the block bring to the table? The answer, it turns out, is booze. [Billy Penn]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Parker welcomes U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at 30th Street Station’s Amtrak Freedom 250 Acela Train and then visits Carpenter’s Hall in Old City for a signing ceremony with local and DC students. (10 a.m.)
Parker delivers the keynote at an American Jewish Committee event celebrating Jewish heritage and culture as part of 250th anniversary celebrations at Congregation Mikveh Israel. (12:30 p.m.)
Parker then celebrates the arrival of six pop-up businesses on the 900 block of Market East as part of the city’s revitalization efforts, which include public art and corridor beautification projects. (3 p.m.)
BILLY PENN GUIDES
❤️ Mother’s Day in Philly events
🌱 Spring in Philly guide
🎤 Philly Record Store Guide
⚽ Billy Penn’s FIFA World Cup Guide
🛍️ Thrifty in Philly guide
📚 Book lovers’ guide to Philly
🍹 Non-alcoholic Philly
😋 Dining in Philly
🏃🏽 Philly Runners Guide
ON THE CALENDAR
🗓️ For the **FULL LIST** of this week’s events calendar, visit BillyPenn.com!
Walking tours in Washington Square and East Falls (weekend), spring festivals (NoLibs) and musicals and theater performances (weekend) are on tap this holiday weekend!
