6044 Chestnut Avenue

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.

Renderings have been revealed for a 275-unit mixed-use development planned at 4301 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects, the building will rise seven stories tall and feature 30,300 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The residential space will total 147,562 square feet. Amenity space on the second floor will span 3,278 square feet, with 7,895 square feet of common space on the ground floor. A 6,055-square-foot roof deck will be located at the top of the building. An underground garage will hold 75 parking spaces, with two expected to be handicap accessible, one set to be van accessible, four for electric vehicles, and two reserved for interior loading spaces.