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.

Renderings have been revealed for a four-story, nine-townhome development at 2002-13 Abigail Street in Fishtown, Kensington. The homes feature two design variants, where the five at the northwest corner will include parking, while the four homes to the southeast will not. Catalyst City Development, the developer, is also in charge of the residential conversion of the historic Harbisons Dairy across the street, which YIMBY covered last October.