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.

The east side of Center City is on the verge of a transformation, where a new project is elevating the vertical profile of the dense Market East neighborhood. Designed by Ennead Architects and Stantec and developed by National Real Estate Development, the Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion at 1101 Chestnut Street officially stands 372 feet and 23 stories tall since it was topped out in February. In this publication, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at the latest construction progress.