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 four-story, 20-unit multi-family building at 2901 Snyder Avenue in Grays Ferry, South Philadelphia. The new building will span 25,335 square feet of new construction. The approved scope calls for an attached structure with a cellar, one elevator, a common roof deck, green roof, and two roof deck access structures. The development will contain and seven Class 1A bicycle parking spaces. The project team consists of GF Apartments LLC, KCA Design Associates as the design professional, and City Suburban Home Builders as the contractor.