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.

In March of last year, YIMBY reported that permits were filed for a 29-unit apartment building at 214 Vine Street in Old City. Since that time, construction has made notable progress, as revealed in our recent site visit. Designed by Moto Designshop, the development unites four parcels at 214 through 220 Vine Street, spans a 5,403-square-foot ground footprint, and will hold 26,550 square feet of interior space, which translates into an average of just over 900 square feet per unit. Permits list Vine New Associates LLC as the owner and Spruce Builders LLC as the general contractor.