>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.

Completion approaches at the dual-branded W/Element Hotel, a 582-foot tower at 1441 Chestnut Street designed by Cope-Linder Architects. The 773,500 square foot property was first scheduled to be opened back in spring 2018, but the opening date was significantly pushed back. The structure had started rising in August 2016 after setbacks with the foundation, but the tower had made a steady rise, popping into the skyline by the second quarter of 2018. With the concrete structure topped in August 2018 and steel topped with the W logo at the end of October, the jagged-faced tower is now largely finished.