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.

The 32-story, 380-unit Riverwalk South, the taller component of the two-tower Riverwalk project has risen to the halfway point at 60 North 23rd Street in Center City West. The tower will soon be 362 feet tall next to its 315-foot companion to the north. While the north tower is horizontally aligned with the streets of Philadelphia, the south tower sits at a 20-degree angle that makes the wide south elevation of the building face the Schuylkill River. Designed by Gensler and developed by PMC Property Group, the complex will feature a total of 711 units and retail space in the towers’ three-story bases that are split by Arch Street.