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.

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has revealed that construction has not yet started on a five-story, 14-unit mixed-use development at 1350 North Front Street in Fishtown, Kensington. The project will span 19,830 square feet and feature ground level retail and a roof deck, which, given the structure’s future prominence, promises to offer dramatic views of the Northern Liberties and Center City skylines. The latest permits, which were issued in June of last year, indicate Gnome Architects as the designer, although the previous design (featured as the cover image of the article) was crafted by Bright Common. Permits list GRIT Construction as the contractor and a construction cost of $2.3 million.