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.

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, 104,100-square-foot self-storage facility at 4890 Summerdale Avenue in Lawncrest, Northeast Philadelphia. The development will rise on a large site situated just to the north of Roosevelt Boulevard and just to the east of the Northeast Tower Center shopping mall. The building will be fully sprinkled. Permits list Truman Gee as the design professional, Swinerton Builders as the contractor, and a construction cost of $6 million.