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.

Another day, another new building is set to rise Front Street. Permits have been issued for the construction of a 35-unit multi-family dwelling at 2043-51 North Front Street in Fishtown. Designed by CANNOdesign, the building will rise six stories tall and will feature commercial space on the ground floor and 35 bicycle spaces, providing a 1:1 ratio of bike spaces to units that will help encourage green forms of transportation. Tester Construction is listed as the contractor.