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 Philly YIMBY shows that construction work is nearly complete at a four-story two-family rowhouse at 1616 North Sydenham Street in Cecil B. Moore, North Philadelphia, near Temple University. The development replaces a prewar rowhouse on the block between West Oxford Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Designed by Richard Stange, the building spans 5,023 square feet. Permits list Todd Joseph Properties as the contractor.