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.

Developers Concordia Group and D3 Development have begun to construct Northbank, a massive, 897-unit development at 2001 Beach Street in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by ISA Architects, the master-planned community will span a 25-acre parcel on the Delaware River waterfront near the border of Fishtown and Olde Kensington. The project will include ground floor retail space and 539 apartments within two large multi-family buildings, 254 townhouses, and 104 stacked condos coming in the form of duplexes. The development is already underway, with paving of streets and home construction and sales.