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.

Although permits had been issued last year, a recent visit by Philly YIMBY has discovered that construction has still not begun at the six-story, 453-unit apartment building proposed at 2621-67 Frankford Avenue in East Kensington. Designed by Harman Deutsch Ohler Architecture (also known as HDO Architecture), with Turn Key Realty LLC as the contractor, the structure will become one of the largest in the neighborhood, holding 412,703 square feet of space and costing at $72 million to build. The development will offer ample outdoor space for residents and will become a major anchor for the rapidly developing residential area.