PIDC transformed the abandoned Philadelphia State Hospital campus into Byberry Industrial Park, a dynamic industrial and residential community, writes Rachel Hazzard for PIDC.
This redevelopment has generated long-term economic impact for the city, creating new jobs, attracting investment, and providing more open space.
Through decades of sustained investment and collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, PIDC, the city’s public-private economic development corporation, helped transform a long-underutilized space into a key driver of economic growth in Northeast Philadelphia.
Work on the project began in the 1980s, with strategic acquisitions over time assembling around 750 acres for development. PIDC managed the buildout of essential infrastructure, including Meetinghouse Road, Townsend Road, Hornig Road, and McNulty Road, along with the installation of utilities and stormwater systems.
Over nearly four decades, PIDC sold 75 parcels to diverse businesses and collaborated with top developers to introduce state-of-the-art logistics facilities to the park. Today, the complex hosts a mix of businesses and institutions, standing as a testament to what long-term public-private partnerships can achieve.
“This project turned a dormant site into a thriving industrial hub that continues to create real economic value for Philadelphia,” said Thomas Dalfo, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Services at PIDC.
Read more about how Byberry Industrial Park came to be with PIDC.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA.Today in July 2025.
