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 the construction of a six-story mixed-use building at 1212-16 North Delaware Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. The building will feature commercial space at the ground floor and 48 apartments above. In total, the new building will hold 41,538 square feet of space. The project will include a roof deck and 12 off-site parking spaces for building residents, one of which will be reserved for car sharing, as well as 16 bicycle spaces. Permits list Janice Woodcock as the design professional and GMT Associates, Inc. as the contractor. Construction costs are estimated at $6.5 million.