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.

Permits have been issued for new mixed-use construction at 6225-27 Germantown Avenue in Germantown, where a four-story apartment building with a cellar is approved to replace an existing one-story structure. The project will introduce ground-floor commercial space along Germantown Avenue with residential units above, advancing a by-right mixed-use development within the CMX-2 zoning district. The project is designed by Ingram/Sageser Architecture and Planning.