>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 five-story, 40-unit multi-family structure at 909-17 North 26th Street in Brewerytown, North Philadelphia. The structure will feature 18 underground parking spaces, two of these being van accessible. There will also be 17 bike spaces and a a roof deck. Kore Design Architecture paired with Omega Home Builders for the project, which will span 53,093 square feet of space and cost an estimated $5 million to build.