1543 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.

Construction has reached the topmost point at Broad Street Flats, a seven-story mixed-use development at 701 South Broad Street in Hawthorne, South Philadelphia. Designed by PZS Architects, the building will feature commercial space at the ground floor and 50 residential units. The building will also hold four “hotel rooms,” which will likely be used as apartments. The structure’s floor area spans 50,462 square feet. Permits list Ferraro Construction Group as the contractor and a construction cost of $8 million.