2220 Wilder 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 that neither demolition nor construction work has yet started at 26 South 42nd Street, the site of a planned seven-story, 63-unit mixed-use building in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. The structure will rise on the on the northwest corner of Chestnut and South 42nd streets, on the western periphery of University City. Designed by Coscia Moos Architecture, the development will span 56,664 square feet and include 4,828 square feet of retail. The provision of 42 bicycle spaces will be well above the 22-space requirement, and nine off-site car parking spaces in a garage across the street at 4141-47 Chestnut Street. Permits list IMC Construction as the contractor and specify a construction cost of $6.8 million.