>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.

The Schuylkill Yards development is on the verge of breaking into the University City skyline in West Philadelphia. Permits for a new 361-foot, 28-story, mixed-use office and residential tower at 3025 John F. Kennedy Boulevard were approved in early December 2019. The tower is one of many slated for the 14 acres of land just to the northwest of FMC Tower. A new park, Drexel Square, was completed last year just east of the Bulletin Building.