Mayor Cherelle L. Parker wants to bring a factory that builds housing to Philadelphia, and included $10 million in her latest budget proposal to help make it happen. Currently, Pennsylvania has 27 such manufacturing facilities, but none are in the Philadelphia area. In the factories, pieces of houses or apartment buildings are constructed and outfitted with appliances, wiring and plumbing fixtures — and then transported to construction sites where they are fitted together. Modular construction is a small but growing part of the national home construction industry. “I want you to think of factories with employees working around the clock because they’re in a controlled climate, and they don’t have to worry about the elements,” Parker said during her budget address. Parker’s ambitious goal is inspired by a similar effort in Cleveland, where Mayor Justin Bibb has been working on a plan since 2024 to bring a modular housing factory to his city. That facility is expected to break ground this year and begin operations in mid-2027.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 3/13/2026