South 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.

A recent submission to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s Civic Design Review committee shows extensive information for University Place 5.0, a five-and-a-half-tier, 495-car parking garage proposed for construction at 17 North 41st Street in West Powelton, West Philadelphia. The structure will rise as part of a greater University Place complex, which has been under development over the course of the past several years. Developed by the University Place Associates and designed by ISA (Interface Studio Architects), with IMEG as the architect of record, the proposed building will span 165,950 square feet. According to the developer, the facility will both support the existing University Place campus as well as provide general public parking as well as neighborhood amenities that include a dog park and a community garden.