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.

Demolition is pending for a Wendy’s restaurant at 1101 Walnut Street in Center City, which will be replaced with a 259-foot-tall, 23-story residential tower designed by JKRP Architects.  The project was initially revealed in August 2019, with demolition and construction permits following in October. Since that time, however, no signs of demolition work have appeared on the site. Permis list ARD 1105 Walnut LLC as the owner.