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 latest site visit to 300 North Columbus Street in Old City reveals that construction has not yet begun for the 290-foot-tall, 24-story residential tower two blocks north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Though no construction equipment has arrived so far, the parking lot is already shuttered with a sign on the south side of the fence announcing imminent construction. The structure is developed by The Durst Organization and designed by Handel Architects. The building will transform one of many vacant parking lots along North Christopher Columbus Boulevard in a district located between Old City and Northern Liberties, just north of Penn’s Landing.