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.

The area to the west of the 30th Street Station in University City, West Philadelphia, is expanding significantly, where the 14-acre Schuylkill Yards project is underway. 3025 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, the latest tower rising in the area, has reached a new milestone as curtain wall assembly has begun. Designed by the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism and developed by Brandywine Realty Trust, the skyscraper will rise to a height of 361 feet and 28 stories.