Catalyze

Transitioning underutilized assets into productive use brings new life to major areas of the city in transition, creates jobs, and develops the next generation of job-creating real estate.

109 Acres

Under New Developer Agreement

23.4 Acres

Land Sales City Wide

Industrial Land Development

COVID-19 has changed the supply chain impacts for wholesale and retail and created massive increases in the already increasing online retail space. During this unprecedented time, Philadelphia has continued to see significant real estate development in this booming industrial sector. By the end of 2020, there were nearly eight-million square feet of either proposed, underway, or completed new or newly renovated industrial space in Philadelphia. This includes more than three-million square feet of completed development and more than four-million square feet are on track to start construction over the next 12-18 months. Philadelphia’s emergence as an East Coast logistics hub will be solidified by Hilco Development Partners’ proposal to develop 13 million square feet of a multi-modal logistics center on the site of the shuttered Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery over the next decade. Below are two projects which demonstrate the depth and breadth of the demand for new and renovated industrial space to meet the growing need for logistics and distribution facilities in Philadelphia.

First Independence Logistics Center

In yet another sign of the depth and breadth of the demand for industrial sites to support investment and development of logistics facilities in Philadelphia, construction was completed for the First Independence Logistics Center at 2021 Woodhaven Road. It is the 3rd Class “A” distribution and logistics facility to deliver on a speculative basis in the last 30 years.

9450-70 Ashton Road

In August, PIDC closed on the sale of 9450-70 Ashton Road to Crow Holdings Industrial (CHI) — a development company with a 70-year history of specializing in distribution, fulfillment and last-mile properties in key logistics markets throughout the United States. CHI assembled a 24-acre site at the corner of Grant Avenue and Ashton Road, and has received approvals for the construction of a 110,000-square-foot logistics facility. The facility is being developed to house an Amazon last-mile distribution center.

The Navy Yard

New Developments

In July 2020, after a year-long competitive process that attracted more than 35 development teams from across the country, we announced the selection of a team comprised of Ensemble Real Estate Investments and Mosaic Development Partners as our development partners for 109 acres in the Navy Yard. The next phase of development will further establish the Navy Yard as a vibrant and inclusive mixed-use community, offering world-class life science manufacturing, R&D, and office space, as well as hotels, retail space, makerspace, and for the first time — residential units. PIDC and the Ensemble/Mosaic team envision up to $2.5 billion of new private investment that will drive many thousands of new construction and permanent jobs.

A key aspect of the vision of this dynamic and vibrant campus is that it provides opportunities for all Philadelphians. In alignment with PIDC and Ensemble/Mosaic’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Ensemble/Mosaic team is deploying a robust and novel approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all elements of development. This holistic inclusion strategy provides tremendous opportunities for MBE/WBE participation. This will include diverse equity ownership with an innovative crowd-funding component, substantial MBE/WBE participation in construction and operations, inclusion of local and MBE/WBE small businesses in retail and makerspace opportunities, a paid internship program with Cheyney University, and the allocation of a share of net income to a charitable foundation that will create new opportunities for young people in Philadelphia.

We shared the details of this development initiative in our announcement about the development agreement.

New Development Team: Ensemble & Mosaic

Ensemble/Mosaic, new development team for the next phase of development at the Navy Yard.

Activities

In 2020, “America’s coolest shipyard” remained open and continued to be a place for socially distanced gathering, outdoor activities, and business operations for its tenants. In fact, the Navy Yard launched another outdoor artwork installation in the fall in partnership with Group X — Mystery Island and the Marvelous Occurrence of Spontaneous Art (M.I.M.O.S.A.) — a collection of six new temporary works of public art created by a diverse group of individual artists that played with the built environment of Philadelphia’s former League Island.

Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives

PIDC launched its collaborative professional development program with the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) in summer 2020 to train Philadelphia residents for permanent, full-time, quality-wage careers at the Navy Yard. This workforce program will train and connect Philadelphians to roles with Navy Yard employers seeking talent and will build upon and expand the successful and proven WPSI professional development model.

Technical Training at Four Seasons - PC: Ben Bowens Photography — Technical Training at Four Seasons

Training at Navy Yard - PC: Ben Bowens Photography — Training at Navy Yard

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2021 OVERVIEW

We are Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. PIDC spurs investments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. PIDC is a non-profit founded by the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce in 1958.