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.

Renderings have been revealed for a new mixed-use development located at 4200 Market Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects, the new building will rise six stories tall, with a mix of commercial and residential space. Retail will be be located on the ground floor of the development fronting Market Street and 42nd Street, spanning 22,511 square feet, while most of the remaining area will be occupied by 20,000 square feet of parking space. 2,707 square feet of space will be reserved for “residential common spaces.” Other amenity spaces will be located at the second floor (3,920 square feet) as well as at a roof deck atop the structure (5,000 square feet of space). In total, there will be 352 residential units within the structure. 104 accessory parking spaces will be included within the project to help serve these units, including five handicap space, a van accessible space, and three interior loading spaces.