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 Philadelphia YIMBY has revealed that construction has not yet started at a single-family dwelling proposed at 1326 Palethorp Street in Olde Kensington, though a zoning permit was issued in November 2020. The development is slated to replace a vacant lot on the west side of the block between West Thompson and Master streets, and will feature a roof deck. Detailed information on the project remains scarce, although permits list CANNOdesign as the contractor (which is likely a confusing word choice, as CANNOdesign is an architecture firm and the listing likely refers to it as an architectural contractor).