In the last four years, the demand for warehouse space has resulted in 55 million square feet of related industrial real estate being added in the Philadelphia area, write Frank Kummer, Kevin Riordan, Jake Blumgart, Joseph N. DiStefano, and Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The nine-county Philadelphia region now has 188 warehouses bigger than 20,000 square feet, compared to 24 in 2020. The average warehouse is around 300,000 square feet. 

The region’s warehouse boom has served to alter the workforce by creating thousands of jobs. It also devoured farmland, channeled truck traffic to country roads, created worries about the environment, and most recently, caused pushback from neighbors who believe enough is enough. 

Still, some projects, such as the Bellwether District in South Philadelphia, one of the most ambitious warehousing projects in the region, have managed to avoid controversy by reusing land that has previously been used for similar purposes. 

“This is an area that’s been closed off to the city and most of the citizens of Philadelphia for over 100 years,” said Amelia Chassé Alcivar, executive vice president of corporate affairs with Hilco Redevelopment Partners, the project’s developer. 

Read more about how warehouse space is affecting real estate in the area in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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