1541 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 Philly YIMBY has revealed that construction has not yet started at a six-story, 79-unit mixed-use building at 1106-14 Spring Garden Street (aka 1106 Spring Garden Street) in Callowhill, Lower North Philadelphia. Designed by Varenhorst, the building will rise from an L-shaped, 17,543-square-foot lot with frontage on Spring Garden and North 11th streets, though the corner parcel is not included in the project. The 74,587-square-foot development will include below-ground parking for 27 vehicles, retail and residential amenity space on the ground floor, and apartments on the stories above.