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.

Several sizeable developments are currently in the works in Old City, the tallest of which is the tower that LCOR Incorporated plans to construct at One Dock Street. Bower Lewis Thrower Architects is the designer for the 374-foot-tall, 31-story proposal that would rise even higher than I.M. Pei’s Society Hill Towers, built just to the south in 1964. The new building will hold 272 rental units.