A \u2018shining star\u2019 for the modular home industry<\/p>\n
For now, it\u2019s unclear when the redevelopment authority might release a request for proposals tied to Parker\u2019s vision \u2014 or if any companies will be interested in setting up shop in the city.\n<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania is no stranger to the modular home industry, however. About a dozen factories<\/a> are currently operating in the state, including one run by Philadelphia-based Volumetric Building Companies<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s probably more of them in Pennsylvania than anywhere else in the country,\u201d said Devin Perry with the National Association of Home Builders.\n<\/p>\n They are located in rural parts of the state, and many operate out of pre-existing industrial facilities capable of holding a modular home factory.\n <\/p>\n Bringing a set of factories to an urban setting like Philadelphia is not prohibitive, but those sites would certainly be outliers in the state, said Perry. And the cost of building a new facility could influence which companies would respond to any RFP the redevelopment authority releases.\n<\/p>\n Parker said last month that she envisions up to five factories being built on underutilized sites in the city, including the triangle and locations where \u201cpersistently\u201d vacant school buildings now stand. For now, it\u2019s unclear whether any of those structures could be converted or if they would need to be demolished to make way for factories.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn a perfect world, you go ground up, because you can build the facility to meet your needs,\u201d said Perry. \u201cBut if you can avoid having to build the manufacturing facility from the ground up, it\u2019s a cost savings.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Housing developer Mohamed Rushdy, former president of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, said bringing one of these factories to the Logan Triangle is far from a pipe dream.\n<\/p>\n Right now, about half of the site is suitable for redevelopment. A residential development would likely require extensive environmental remediation, but one of these facilities could potentially be built on a section of the site that has sturdier soil.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAny kind of environmental cleanup is going to be more minimal compared to residential uses,\u201d said Rushdy, who runs the Riverwards Group.\n<\/p>\n The triangle is also ideally located for transporting modular homes. The site is bordered by Roosevelt Boulevard, which cuts through a large swath of the city and connects to the Schuylkill and Vine Street expressways, as well as I-95.\n<\/p>\n Cautiously optimistic about redevelopment<\/p>\n