897 North 40th 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.

After looking at developments spanning 100,000 to half a million square feet, Philadelphia YIMBY’s next category spotlight installment tracks new projects that feature anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 square feet (or up to 99,999 square feet, to be precise). Buildings that fall into this range hold a capacity that is generally equivalent to anywhere from around 30 to 150 residential units. As such, the category primarily consists of smaller high-rise buildings in the under-15-story range, as well as mid-sized to rather large mid-rise developments. Please note that since the category was introduced only at the start of the year, it currently excludes articles published prior to this year.