Far Northwest Philadelphia

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.

After a yearlong-plus wait since the original reveal of the renderings, construction site preparation work has finally commenced for a five-story, 204-unit development proposed at 1700 North Front Street in Fishtown. Following a gradual arrival of construction equipment onto the site, excavators have recently begun to tear up the blacktop of the block-spanning parking lot that spans the large site bound by the elevated-train-capped Front Street to the east, Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the south, Hope Street to the west, and Palmer Street to the north. Designed by NORR, the 172,844-square-foot structure will hold 123,218 square feet of residential space and 16,429 square feet of retail. The residential component will consist of 28 studios, 141 one-bedroom units, 35 two-bedroom apartments, and a 5,264-square-foot amenity suite. The development will also feature 70 bicycle parking spaces.