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 site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has documented the latest construction progreess at Northbank, a 491-unit complex rising at 2001 Beach Street on the Delaware River waterfront in Fishtown. Designed by ISA, Northbank will now offer 387 single-family townhomes and 104 duplex units. A total of 781 parking spaces will be included, of which 199 will be located outdoors. Below we share a project update that shows its townhouses in various stages of construction.