1419-31 Federal Street

Urban development is a delicate balancing act, and sometimes we must say goodbye to cherished local destinations in order to make way for a plan that is ultimately more beneficial to the community and to the city at large. One of such trade-offs is slated to occur at 7619 Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy, Northwest Philadelphia, where the Trolley Car Diner is set to meet the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a six-story, mixed-use residential development designed by Morrissey Design. Although the charming chrome, neon, mural, and freestanding trolley of the diner will be missed, the proposal at hand makes for more effective use of the site, bringing significant residential density within a two0-block walk of the Mount Airy Station of the SEPTA Regional Rail and replacing the auto-centric restaurant with pedestrian-friendly retail.

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has discovered that excavation is in progress at the future site of a 13-story, 355-unit mixed-use tower 200 Spring Garden Street (also known as 200-24 Spring Garden Street) in Northern Liberties, Lower North Philadelphia, where a fitness center continues to operate. Designed by Handel Architects and developed by National Real Estate Development and the KRE Group, the new building will rise 177 feet to the top of the bulkhead (or 149 feet to the main roof) and offer nearly 298,668 square feet of residential space, 18,187 square feet of retail, an expansive roof deck, parking 106 cars and 116 bicycles, and a landscaped public promenade along the property’s west side.