2442 North Marshall 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 large mixed-use development proposed at 4746-48 Spruce Street in Walnut Hill, West Philadelphia, is going before the Civic Design Review. Designed by PZS Architects, the building will rise 12 stories high, with 170 residential units situated within the third through eleventh floors. This residential space will span 149,590 square feet. Meanwhile, the twelfth floor will include residential amenity space, totaling 5,700 square feet, while commercial and lobby space on the bottom two floors at the tower’s podium will occupy 36,851 square feet. The project will include parking for 28 cars and 76 bicycles.