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.

Demolition status remains in an uncertain state at the site of Broad + Pine, a skyscraper planned at 337 South Broad Street, in Washington Square West, Center City. Designed by Cecil Baker + Partners, the building is planned to rise 361 feet and 23 stories tall, and contain 56 condominium units. The project is developed by Dranoff Properties, which is also behind Arthaus, a high-rise condo under construction just to the north up the block