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, three-unit apartment building at 4159 Westminster Avenue in Belmont, West Philadelphia. The project will rise from a vacant lot sited on the north side of the block between Holly Street and North 42nd streets. The structure will span 2,615 square feet and feature a basement a 618-square-foot roof deck, the latter accessible to the third-floor unit only. Permits list JPL Construction as the contractor and indicate a construction cost of $310,000, of which $40,000 will be allocated toward excavation.