Grays Ferry Avenue, 3401 (Pennovation Works)
Now known as Pennovation Works, this 23-acre property contains space for various University uses and future redevelopment. Current Penn tenants include Penn Parking and Transportation's vehicle operations and maintenance facilities, and The Penn Vet, Working Dog Center.
Ongoing redevelopment of the Pennovation Works is informed by the following principles: - Create a site framework to accommodate phased development of tech transfer, labs, flex-use, multi-use, offices, warehouse and open space. - Establish a system of streets, blocks, and open spaces that optimize development potential and create a vibrant pedestrian environment. - Leverage existing infrastructure and build additional infrastructure incrementally. - Reserve parcels with riverfront views for future priority development, with a flexible range of uses, including parking on the interior of the site and warehousing/flex use facilities at the western edge. Phase 1 Design & Development This first phase of development at the Pennovation Works was a $38 million investment by Penn in construction of the Pennovation Center, with nearly $12 million of that total going to site landscaping and infrastructure improvements. The site planning called for design of the Pennovation Plaza and surrounding landscape which establishes a connection from the perimeter inward and forms a central active outdoor hub for tenants. In 2019, Penn announced plans to move forward with the development of a Lab Building on the Pennovation Works site, a four-story, 73,400-square-foot structure with 35,000 square feet of wet lab, office and flex space. It caters to growing and next stage companies with 10 to 25 employees that need from 2,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. Work on the building began in fall 2019 and was completed in fall 2020.
ProgramThe Pennovation Works (formerly known as Penn's South Bank) is located south of the Schuylkill River at the intersection of 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue. This 23 acre former heavy industrial site offers the opportunity to accommodate a variety of uses that support the academic and research mission of both University clients and third party commercial tenants. The proposed plan for the Pennovation Works provides a long-term view of redevelopment with the understanding that incremental change and evolution will be necessary as the site is transformed. The plan, therefore, is designed to provide a flexible framework of circulation and open space that will organize both existing and future development. The Pennovation Works aligns University-related research functions with private commercial enterprises seeking to operate in close proximity to the University and its neighboring institutions. The low density of this site is well suited to emerging research and tech-transfer development opportunities that may be physically impractical to construct in the core areas of University City, but benefit from close proximity to University initiatives and for-profit companies. Penn's success in fostering the growth of new companies through technology licensing and through partnerships with Penn and neighboring institutions will benefit from this fertile environment for entrepreneurial growth. The Pennovation Works allows development that is complementary to the University City Science Center and yet differs in its focus on light industrial, flex-use, and buildings scaled to fit the need for practical commercialization and business opportunities in the region.