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.

Construction is making steady progress on a new pedestrian bridge at the Penn Medicine Pavilion, a new hospital tower that is reaching completion at 300 South 33rd Street in University City. The tower, designed by Foster + Partners, stands 343 feet and 17 stories tall, with 1.5 million square feet of space. The new bridge will connect the Pavilion to SEPTA’s Penn Medicine Regional Rail Station, formerly titled University City Station. The station is one of the busiest on the system, attracting riders to the major employment center consisting of the nearby medical facilities.