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.

J.G Petrucci Co. Inc. and Petrucci Residential, the developers and owners of The Station at Willow Grove at 91 North York Road in Willow Grove, PA, have recently announced that the mixed-use development is now fully leased. Located four miles north of the Philadelphia city line, the five-story development holds 20,000 square feet of ground-level retail and 275 rental residential units. Construction costs were estimated at $75 million. The building sits across from the Willow Grove Station on the SEPTA Warminser Line, which offers direct commute to Center City. As such, the project is a positive example of dense, pedestrian-friendly development that should be encouraged throughout the area’s rail-serviced suburban towns.