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.

Partial permits have been issued for the Fishtown Power Plant Redevelopment, a mega-project planned at 1325 Beach Street in Fishtown on the Delaware River waterfront. The development includes a renovation of the Delaware Generating Station, a closed and abandoned power plant where construction work is already in progress, and a two-study addition atop the structure, for a combined 284 residential units inside. The permits were issued specifically for the addition, as renovations have already been underway for some time. The two additional floors will hold 68 residential units within 49,260 square feet of space. Construction costs for this portion of the project are estimated at just under $8 million.