Dale Corporation

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.

A recent submission to the Civic Design Review has revealed new renders and information for 1713-21 North Front Street, a six-story, 55-unit development in Fishtown. The new building will replace a parking lot on the east side of Front Street between East Columbia Avenue (aka Cecil B. Moore Avenue west of Front Street) to the south and West Palmer Street to the north. Designed by CANNO Design and developed by Khosla Properties, the structure will span 56,600 square feet, which will include a 2,570-square-foot retail space on the ground floor, and a roof deck, which promises to offer sweeping skyline views due to the building’s relative prominence (the building will rise 73 feet to the main roof and 83 feet to the top of the pilot house). Ten parking spaces will also be provided.