1539 South Bambrey 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.

Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has confirmed the demolition of a vacant three-story prewar house at 101 East Collom Street in the Wister section of Germantown, Northwest Philadelphia. The freestanding structure sits on the west side of the block between Germantown Avenue and Wakefield Street, near the corner of East Collom and Wakefield streets. The demolition cost for the freestanding structure is $22,222, which includes cleaning and grading lots at 103 and 105 East Collom Street. Philadelphia Redevelopment is the listed owner and Pedro Palmer Construction Inc. is the contractor.