An artist’s rendering of the Trolley Car Station restaurant from plans presented last spring to the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee.
Developers will soon break ground on a project that should transform the barren patch of concrete at the 40th Street trolley terminal into a landscaped public space complete with a 125-seat restaurant.
University City District officials promise it will be a more navigable public space for pedestrians. Complete with moveable tables and chairs, enough racks to accommodate 48 bikes and “vegetation everywhere,” the project was well received during public meetings and breezed through zoning approval last spring.
The centerpiece of the project will be the Trolley Car Station restaurant, a two-story restaurant that will be built in the grassy area bordering the portal along Baltimore Avenue. A company owned by real estate developer Ken Weinstein, which runs the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy, will operate the restaurant.
The restaurant will serve three meals a day and will likely be open seven days a week. It will also serve take-out beer, which was a point of contention during the zoning process. The beer selection will be upscale, Weinstein said, allowing customers to mix and match their own six packs.
“We’re not selling 40s,” Weinstein told the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning board last march.
A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 6 at noon and will include Mayor Jim Kenney, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and others.
