4233 Chestnut 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 Penn’s Landing redevelopment plan, revealed last month ago as a winner of a major planning competition, will bring dramatic change to the Delaware River waterfront with a total of 3.6 million square feet of floor space. Developed by The Durst Organization, the project is also slated to bring a 11.5-acre park that will connect the I-95 Park to Penn’s Landing, with green space built atop new platforms over the Delaware Expressway. Two large lots of land will be redeveloped to bring a total of 15 buildings, with the southern portion featuring high-rises up to around 300 feet in height and the towers in the northern portion rising up to around 700 feet. The project will bring 1,834 residential units to the eastern edge of Center City. Philadelphia YIMBY’s exclusive set of concept massings display the impact the development will have on the skyline about eight years from now when the project anticipates completion.