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 Philly YIMBY has discovered that construction work has still not started at a four-story, 76-unit multi-family building at 4701-15 Kingsessing Avenue in Cedar Park (alternately Squirrel Hill), Southwest Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects, the development will span 67,070 square feet and hold 55 parking spaces, two of which will be ADA and van accessible, as well as one designated for car sharing. The project will also include ten bicycle spaces. Permits list Kingsessing Realty LLC as the owner, Equinox Management & Construction LLC as the contractor, and a construction cost of $8.5 million.