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.

Excavation work is making steady progress at The Skylar, a mixed-use development underway at 1601 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by Ambit Architecture and developed by Stamm Development Group, the new building will stand three stories tall, span 5,910 square feet, and feature ground-floor commercial space, four residential unit, a cellar, and a roof deck. In total, the building is expected to cost an estimated $1.15 million.