>4080 Olive 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.

Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has revealed that construction is well underway at a four-unit apartment building at 2120-Fitzwater-Street in Graduate Hospital, South Philadelphia. Designed by Designblendz, the structure appears to rise four stories tall, although permits describe it as three stories high with a “level 3.5” mezzanine. The development will span a total of 3,550 square feet, lending an average of just under 900 square feet per unit, and will include a casement and full sprinkling. Permits list Chris Steinbiss as the contractor and a construction cost of $400,000.