Life sciences, technology, and manufacturing are three of the leading industries in Greater Philadelphia and recently announced major development projects continue to accelerate growth in these sectors. Plans announced by PIDC for the Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus, University of Pennsylvania and Longfellow Real Estate Partners for Pennovation Works, and Hilco Redevelopment Partners for The Bellwether District are a part of these efforts. 

“These three major developments will create vast opportunities for prospective businesses and talent in Greater Philadelphia,” said Claire Marrazzo Greenwood, Executive Director, CEO Council for Growth, and Senior Vice President, Economic Competitiveness for The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. “Combined with the region’s talent pool, accessibility, and collaborative environment, these developments create spaces for global firms and entrepreneurs alike to achieve their vision here.”

Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus

PIDC, Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation, announced plans for its new Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus, an urban hub that will be a world-class location for modern cell and gene therapy bioproduction. Positioned on 40 acres of land (across two 20-acre sites) within the Lower Schuylkill Innovation District, a master-planned district anchored by the existing Pennovation Works campus, the project will offer up to one million square feet of manufacturing space and create a pivotal life science center in the heart of Greater Philadelphia. PIDC announced that the Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus will be located within view of University City – a place where the region’s top academic research institutions operate and many early-stage drug development firms are grown. The location is upriver from the Philadelphia Navy Yard, home to industry leaders, including  Wuxi AppTec, Adaptimmune Therapeutics, and Iovance Biotherapeutics. Learn more at www.lowerschuylkillbio.com.

Pennovation Works

The University of Pennsylvania is developing a ground-up, state-of-the-art life sciences facility inside its innovation incubator, Pennovation Works. The 455,000-square-foot addition to the 23-acre site is scheduled to open in Q4 2025, providing speculative labs to accommodate life sciences companies and incubator startups. Development of the life sciences research, development, and manufacturing facility is a strategic partnership with Longfellow Real Estate Partners, the largest private real estate services firm in the U.S. The project is Longfellow’s first development in the Greater Philadelphia region.

With more than 350 life sciences companies in Greater Philadelphia, including 50 specializing in cell and gene therapy, and a life sciences workforce of more than 70,000 people, Pennovation Works’ development will only advance the region’s momentum. The region’s life sciences companies and talent benefit from a strong connection to leading universities, research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies. This new development will help meet the demand for purpose-built lab space and support the region’s robust growth. Learn more at www.pennovation.upenn.edu.

The Bellwether District

Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) announced The Bellwether District, a state-of-the-art, 15 million-square-foot campus that will become home to global leaders in e-commerce, logistics, and life sciences. HRP is transforming the 1,300-acre site of a former oil refinery, which it acquired in July 2020, into an environmentally responsible logistics and commercial campus. The project is expected to generate more than 32,000 local jobs when it is complete. Learn more at www.thebellwetherdistrict.com.

These large-scale developments coincide with continued growth at key locations throughout the region, such as the Discovery Labs, the Navy Yard, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, Spring House Innovation Park, uCity Square, and more. To explore these and other locations in Greater Philadelphia’s connected, collaborative and accessible life sciences environment, visit the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s Select Greater Philadelphia website to access a property search tool that enables businesses to locate buildings and sites for sale and lease, identifying the type of accommodation they need, whether it is lab or office space, or a warehouse or cold storage facility.