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.

Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story, 96-unit residential building at 7165 Keystone Street in Tacony, Northeast Philadelphia. The plan appears to be a slight downgrade from the six-story, 102-unit development submitted to the Civic Design Review last year and covered in our October article, but since the siting and scale generally remain very similar, we are displaying them here to give the reader an idea of the overall development. In addition to residences, the project will also include a 11,208-square-foot commercial component. Permits list 7165 Keystone Investments as the owner, Brett Harman of Harman Deutsch Ohler Architecture as the design professional, and High Tower Penn as the contractor. Construction costs are listed at $15 million.