>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.

Permits have been issued for the construction of multiple rowhouses at 1501 South 25th Street in Grays Ferry, South Philadelphia, creating a total of 18 units. Each structure will stand four stories tall and feature a private roof deck, and come with an estimated construction cost of $200,000. The rowhouses will include several variants, with types one through five being single-family dwellings consisting of 3,210 square feet of interior space with an estimated construction cost of $200,000. Building seven will be a duplex measuring 3,745 square feet, while buildings eight through 12 will each hold 3,695 square feet of space. Buildings seven through 12 will each cost an estimated $250,000 to build.