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 noted that construction work is nearing completion at Jessup House at 12+Sansom, a 240-foot-tall, 20-story residential high-rise under construction at 123 South 12th Street (alternately 123-27 South 12th Street) in Midtown Village, Center City. The 370,860-square-foot development will provide 399 rental apartments, as well as 10,844 square feet of retail. The project team consists of Studios Architecture as the design architect, BLT Architects as the architect of record, Greystar Real Estate Partners as the developer, and Clemens Construction Company as the contractor. The construction cost is specified at $132.25 million.