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.

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has noted that construction has still not started at the site of a three-story, three-unit residential building planned at 315 West Berks Street in Norris Square. The development will replace a vacant lot situated on the north side of the block between North Orianna Street and North 4th Street. The development will rise from a 1,026-square-foot ground footprint and will span 3,787 square feet, which lends an average of just over 1,200 square feet per apartment. Features will include full sprinkling and a roof deck, which will offer unobstructed views in most directions. Permits list Jessie Claus as the owner, David McArthur as the design professional, and GTMO Development LLC as the contractor and specify a construction cost of $250,000.