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.

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, 16-unit residential building at 1901-09 North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia. The development will replace a vacant lot bound by North 33rd Street to the west, West Berks Street to the south, and Monument Street to the north, situated across from Fairmount Park. The structure will be built in four compartments separated by a fire wall, with each compartment containing four bi-level units. Building features include full sprinkling and parking for six bicycles. According to city permits, the site is under the ownership of the Philadelphia Land Bank. Permits also list Michael Johns as the design professional, BDFS Group Inc. as the contractor, and a construction cost of $2.4 million.