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A brownfields site on the banks of the Schuylkill River is gradually becoming a pocket of economic opportunity, attracting, among others, Federal Express Corp., which plans to build a distribution center there.
The package-delivery company intends to build the 115,000square-foot distribution center on about nine acres off Grays Ferry Avenue where a Celotex roofing materials factory once operated. If all goes as planned, the center will be in operation with about 170 full-time employees by August 2001.
Beyond its access to major highways and Philadelphia International Airport, FedEx found the location attractive for a number of reasons. After several existing buildings were demolished at the property owner's expense, the land came at a discount with infrastructure, such as water and other utilities, already in place.
FedEx, which didn't have to pay for the environmental cleanup, will also receive a tax abatement from Philadelphia given to new construction projects.
It wasn't until a couple of years ago when the DuPont Marshall labs, across from Celotex on Grays Ferry, was considering moving...