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 single-family residential development at 2100 Master Street in the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood of North Philadelphia. The new building will replace a currently vacant corner property sited at the southwest corner of Master Street and North 21st Street. The structure will span 1,434 interior square feet. The development team is comprised of the Civetta Property Group as the owners (the Philadelphia Housing Authority also appears to be associated with the project), Moto Designshop as the architect, and Spruce Builders as the contractor.