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.

Construction is making progress on multiple structures that comprise the 4.4-acre Piazza Terminal project at 1075 Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia, where work has been ongoing for over a year now. Designed by BKV Group, the three towers will feature varying shades of stone cladding, ground floor retail, and public space. The property is being developed by the Post Brothers, which is also behind developments such as The Atlantic and The Poplar Apartments. The project will hold a total of 1,166,980 square feet and will contain 1,144 units. The tallest building planned to stand 16 stories high and 180 feet tall.