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 Philly YIMBY has observed sustained construction progress at a four-story, eight-unit mixed-use building at 2034 North Front Street in Kensington. The development replaces a vacant lot on the west side of the block between West Norris Street and Diamond Street, and rises next to the elevated Market-Frankford Line. The structure will span 8,086 square feet, which translates to an average of around 1,000 square feet per apartment, and feature 540 square feet of ground-level retail and a cellar. The roof deck will likely offer views of the skyline. Permits list the Estate of Anna Reinman as the owner, Christopher Carickhoff as the design professional, and V2 Properties Construction Management LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are indicated at $1.38 million.