>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 a new multi-family building located at 1916 Bainbridge Street in Graduate Hospital, South Philadelphia. The new building will rise four floors and will contain three residential units. At the top of the new building, an access structure will provide a route to a roof deck that will act as an amenity space for the building. In total, the new building will span 4,915 square feet of space. Mass Architecture Studio is the firm behind the project’s design.