>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.

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has discovered that construction has not yet begun at a seven-story, 88-unit residential building proposed at 4219-23 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by Wulff Architects, Inc., the building will span 55,280 square feet, and rise 80 feet high to the main roof, and 93 feet to the top of the bulkheads. Features will include a roof deck and parking for 16 cars and 30 bicycles. The structure will replace a two-story commercial building that was previously occupied by a dialysis center, which, as our staff photographer has found, remains standing on the site with no signs of demolition, even though zoning permits for demolition and construction had been issued in September and December 2020, respectively.