1500 South 25th 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 Philadelphia YIMBY has noted that finishing touches are underway at a multi-building development at 1301-07 Ridge Avenue in Poplar, Lower North Philadelphia. 1301 Ridge Avenue, the building situated at the south end of the wedge-shaped site, boasts stats representative of the complex; it will span a footprint measuring 994 square feet and will hold 3,814 square feet of interior space, which translates into spacious apartments measuring well over 1,000 square feet each. The structure will be fully sprinkled. Permits list Greenway Plaza LLC as the owner, Brett Harman as the design professional, and Liu Construction LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $380,000.