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.

In February, YIMBY shared that a four-story, 61-unit mixed-use development at 1359 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington, is going before the Civic Design Review. Today we take a detailed look at the project, which spans a highly irregular lot between Frankford Avenue to the west and Crease Street to the east. Designed by NORR and developed by the Fishtown Collective, the project will span 60,948 square feet and offer 12,285 square feet of retail along Frankford Avenue and a selection of apartments consisting of 31 studios, 22 one-bedroom units, and eight two-bedroom apartments.