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.

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has discovered that renovation work is underway at 106 South 42nd Street in Walnut Hill, West Philadelphia. The development is situated on the west side of the block between Chestnut and Sansom streets. Designed by HDO Architecture, the project will involve renovations interior renovations to a prewar rowhouse and construction of a rear addition, which will expand the 3,406-square-foot building to 6,112 square feet and nine apartments. Permits list Zhu Fengjun as the contractor and a construction cost of $526,050.