A Google subsidiary focused on self-driving robotaxis is reportedly plotting a build-to-suit facility in South Philadelphia’s Bellwether District.
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Permits issued Nov. 4 by the Department of Licenses and Inspections show plans to build a 200K SF facility at 3144 W. Passyunk Ave. for “personal vehicle repair and maintenance, equipment and material storage” with “warehouse and accessory office space.”
The permit doesn't name a user, but the Philadelphia Business Journal, citing three unnamed sources, reported the occupant is Waymo.
The self-driving car company announced plans to expand in Philly in July 2025, when it started testing its autonomous vehicle fleet in the city.
The upcoming facility will include 367 parking spaces on a 15.7-acre site between 26th Street and the Schuylkill River.
Waymo and HRP Group, the developer behind the Bellwether District, didn't respond to Bisnow’s requests for comment.
This would be the third major lease at the 1,300-acre complex, where construction began in 2023. It previously housed a Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, which shut down in 2019 following a major fire.
Another build-to-suit facility spanning 1.4M SF is under construction for canned beverage manufacturer DrinkPAK and expected to deliver next year.
That project, announced in December, came with a $2M grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
In March, nuclear biomedical technology firm TerraPower announced plans to lease a 250K SF build-to-suit manufacturing facility in the Bellwether District. The project, expected to create 225 jobs, came with $10M worth of incentives from the state.
The Waymo report comes as robotaxi firms have been growing their real estate footprints nationwide.
Lyft, Uber, Waymo and Amazon-owned Zoox signed leases for nearly 1M SF of industrial space between the start of the year and September, according to Cushman & Wakefield. The firms leased just 830K SF combined from 2022 through 2025.
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