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.

Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has observed significant construction progress at 3.0 University Place, an eight-story commercial and laboratory development under construction at 4101-23 Market Street in University City, West Philadelphia. Designed by the Sheward Partnership and jointly developed by Silverstein Properties, Cantor Fitzgerald, and University Place Associates, University Place 3.0 will offer 250,000 square feet of Class A office and lab space, which will provide a significant boost to the neighborhood’s rapidly-growing medical services industry, while ground-level retail space will liven up the pedestrian experience.