Distribution Centers and Nearby Neighborhoods
Developers propose to locate large warehouse distribution centers in Northeast Philadelphia. This page compiles links to articles and information about distribution centers' effects on nearby neighborhoods. Use the table of contents below to navigate the site, or scroll down. Write to chrisbordelon@gmail.com to suggest new links.
The Hot Industrial Market Might Finally Be Coming To Philadelphia.pdf"Northeast Philadelphia has plentiful land and quality access to highways, making it ground zero for distribution center interest in the city,' [Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. Senior Vice President Tom] Dalfo said."
News and Magazine Articles
"It's just consistent, backed up traffic. If we knew it was going to be like this, I don't think we would've allowed it in the town."
"Residents just a block over from the site say they’re worried about the noise coming from the trucks, the traffic on the roads, and the possibility of air, soil, and water pollution. 'The hundreds of semis that will be coming in an out, there’s an elementary school close by, and it’s a residential area' ... Beyond the scope of the distribution center, neighbors at the meeting say they were never given a chance to voice their opinion on the project until now. They want to know why."
“The volume of trucks on these roads ... is going to exponentially increase over the years.”
"'It seems to me that the mayor is rushing all bodies to approve this project' ... [T]hey are... concerned about environmental issues and an increase in traffic and a decrease in air quality."
"Opponents... have packed informational meetings... to share concerns about semitruck traffic, noise and pedestrian safety. 'Everyone worked hard to build their dream homes out here. We never expected we’d have an industrial warehouse (proposed)'...."
"'Trucks stacking... will be a big problem' ... 'I am strongly opposed to this project because it backs up to our houses' ... He said he is concerned about the level of sound the proposed use of the property will generate near his and his neighbors’ homes."
"The delivery-van traffic jams were a topic at Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting. '[T]he site isn’t working as it was presented to the city... Our interest is to not have their company queuing of cars spill out into the public road... You don’t want the street being taken over wholly by private business.'”
"It's ridiculous... The traffic problem is overwhelming."
"My house shakes already when trucks go by, what am I going to do when there are 275 of them going by an hour?"
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191220/milford-slams-amazon-requests-meeting
"'We’ve all had the issues with the huge number of vans in certain neighborhoods and certain streets trying to get out of their warehousing locations... I don’t think you can go too far around town without hearing somebody complain about all the vans.' ... vans pulled to the side... creating hazardous obstacles for drivers to pass... processions of vans and tractor-trailers bringing traffic to a standstill at key intersections... groups of the vehicles overwhelm gas stations... allegations of illegal parking terminals. 'They’re adding to public safety concerns and impacting the quality of life of our residents.'"
"'I think we're finding with this facility use, as elsewhere, there are holes in local municipal zoning ordinances because there's nothing that really speaks to this'... Sixty trucks are being parked... without permits having been applied for in either case, township officials said... Amazon is not the tenant in either case... 'Amazon does not own and operate these fleets. There's Amazon logos on them, but it's not Amazon. They're all subcontractors that Amazon partners with.'"
"[T]he project faces opposition and concerns from local residents and officials over increased traffic, storm water drainage and utilities access."
"The new facility would increase truck traffic, adding hundreds of trips per day. "
https://www.examiner.net/news/20191218/industrial-developer-in-independence-plans-to-see-it-through
"'This type of project should never be close to homes'... citizen concerns ranged from traffic congestion and safety, noise and air and light pollution and setting an undesired precedent for the area.... 'I don’t know where they would fuel.'"
"From a realtor’s standpoint, it’s devastating... Some of my neighbors have recently expressed if this goes through we will have to move, and I said, you guys, it’s too late, your values are going down as we speak..."
"Consider the noise and traffic impact... 'It’s crazy to think this won’t impact our neighborhood'... The noise, the deteriorating roads, oil leaking into the groundwater will all negatively affect the residents..."
"Delivery-van traffic jams were a topic at Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting... '[T]he site isn’t working as it was presented to the city... Our interest is to not have their company queuing of cars spill out into the public road.... You don’t want the street being taken over wholly by private business' ... delivery vans have been lining up for extended periods on the street"
"'We were not told this was coming in or asked if we wanted it, or what sort of mitigations we would want if it was coming in. That was very frustrating....' Neighbors are also concerned about more truck traffic on this already-busy stretch... Labor organizers say many positions are low-wage and only part-time."
https://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/local-news/more-trucks-bypass/
"It will put a large amount of high volume truck traffic onto the Bypass serving a... company that relies not just on trucks bringing stock items in but also shipping out to customers."
"People who live in the neighborhoods near this site... are concerned about... all the trucks going in and out of the roads for this new 24/7 distribution center... 'It seems to me like they’re just trying to slide this through without too many waves' ... 'We’re just concerned about the impact on our neighborhood, the traffic that it’s going to create and safety for the citizens who live close to that area...'”
"Plans called for hundreds of tractor-trailers to leave the warehouse each day."
"These buildings need more parking than ever before... 'Developers and property owners are realizing that if they don’t build a significant amount of parking... industrial tenants could move on to the next site.'"
"Allowing this area to be rezoned will be done at a detriment to the public health from increased pollution; a detriment to safety through increased truck traffic; and a detriment to the comfort and welfare of the community through increased noise and flooding."
"Residents attended a planning and zoning commission meeting Thursday in person and via video conferencing, asking questions about the trees, fencing, traffic and working hours for the future employees of the facility. At 10 p.m., the commission said it was approaching curfew... Residents left the meeting with chants of “truck no.”
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/06/27/amazon-warehouse-burlington-township-burlington-city/
"I’m concerned about the amount of traffic that goes past this old building cause it really vibrates a lot..."
https://wset.com/news/local/daily-traffic-near-j-crew-causing-issues-for-drivers-employees
"Some say the bumper-to-bumper traffic is not only wasting their time, it's also blocking the flow of money into their wallets."
"... a variety of concerns, ranging from how the massive facility will impact the water quality in the underground aquifer to concerns over traffic jams... from an influx of hundreds of cars and tractor trailers."
https://www.nj.com/mercer/2015/12/amazons_mega_warehouse_gridlocks_traffic_in_nj_tow.html
"'We have a system that was built for a number of cars and it's twice as many cars... It wasn't built to handle that much volume.' Most concerning, though, is the accident count has risen 300 percent."
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/battle-over-proposed-warehouse-in-tilden-township-over
"An estimated 800 trucks a day would enter and leave the facility... around the clock seven days a week."
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2016/11/23/distribution-centers-pose-traffic-concerns/94300636/
"...the rumble and rush of traffic is nonstop... There's too much noise and pollution... They put in a wall, but that didn't stop it.... We still hear all the traffic..."
"Many warehouse personnel are employed by agencies that provide temporary workers... Many work part-time for low wages and do not qualify for health insurance and other benefits.... One of our biggest concerns was when we started to see a lot of trucks in our neighborhood."
https://www.kold.com/2019/12/03/living-near-an-amazon-distribution-center-cyber-monday/
"Several neighbors living on the streets directly behind and close to the center shared concerns... about congested streets"
https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/10/16/76105/land-grab-what-happens-when-warehouses-move-in-nex/
"...the traffic, the noise of heavy trucks, and the pollution..."
"A coalition of community groups... is seeking an agreement from the company that ensures zero-emission vehicles, living wages, a limit on the number of temporary jobs, improvement funds for local infrastructure and other features.... improve its pay levels and take steps to reduce congestion and any resulting air pollution... '[the] wage scale and truck traffic has disinvested communities.'"
https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/boxwood-logisticenter/
"To date... most fulfillment centers are farther away [from cities] in less populated areas that could support the typical huge footprint needs."
https://www.patriotledger.com/news/20191025/amazon-drops-braintree-plans
"Amazon has apparently dropped its plans to open a [200,000-square-foot] 'last mile' distribution center... The town’s planning board approved a special permit for the center in July 2018, subject to a series of 68 conditions, including that part-time drivers... display a sign so the town could monitor compliance with another requirement that prohibited drivers from using residential side streets. Amazon appealed... saying that the conditions were 'arbitrary and capricious' since they did not apply to other companies... also... that since the drivers are 'independent contractors,' the conditions are beyond Amazon’s power to control... Other conditions set a minimum for the insurance the drivers would carry and would require background and driving records checks. The permit was also appealed by several neighboring businesses, who said the distribution center 'will significantly increase delays and accidents'... Traffic concerns were a major issue... with many residents saying it would worsen the congestion..."
“'We’re not anti-development, but 510 tractor trailers is a problem' ... 'The demographic favored by warehouse owners are ‘distressed and depressed areas.'"
"[R]esidents are concerned about any project that would bring more diesel trucks to the neighborhood."
"As part of a $100 million redevelopment plan Hilco Redevelopment Partners is building a one-million-square-foot distribution center for Target. Activists are concerned the warehouse will bring many more polluting diesel trucks to Little Village, a neighborhood already inundated by truck traffic.... 'Our lungs will continue to be the first filters of the diesel particulate matter.'"
https://patch.com/new-jersey/cinnaminson/county-denies-warehouse-plan-over-traffic-concerns
"I share the frustration of residents concerned by the adverse impact warehouse traffic is putting on our roadways and their quality of life."
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-14-me-30091-story.html
"[A]s part of a landmark court settlement, 4,500 [Buena Park] residents in the area are supposed to be sent warnings for the first time about an increased risk of cancer and other health hazards linked to soot pouring out of those trucks.... Diesel exhaust contains more than 40 chemicals that have been listed by the state as toxic air contaminants."
"... displeasure with the lights, noise, truck traffic and quality of employment for the site... homeowners said they have seen their property values take a hit... We’re not going to be able to stay, and how are we going to sell to get out of here?"
https://azbigmedia.com/council-halts-development-plan-near-the-chandler-airpark/
"Residents who were strongly opposed to the development claim it would clog the roads with distribution trucks making the roads unsafe for children, bike lanes and also contribute to a decrease in property value for the surrounding communities."
https://www.theherald-news.com/2018/04/04/joliet-and-jackson-township-argue-over-warehouses/aixqwo8/
"I just want to know when enough is enough for truck traffic..."
https://www.curbed.com/2018/11/20/18104847/e-commerce-warehouse-real-estate-pollution
"It’s under the guise of adding jobs, but if you look under the hood, it’s exacting a big toll on communities, and changing the landscape of the area."
https://www.scpr.org/news/2017/07/27/74127/should-logistics-warehouses-and-schools-be-neighbo/
"Numerous health studies show that children who live close to heavy traffic and are exposed to particulates from heavy trucks have higher incidences of health problems, including asthma."
"The issue comes down to the proximity of many residential neighborhoods... A warehouse in a residential area, it's noise it smells and there are safety concerns..."
https://www.wired.com/story/online-shopping-traffic-delivery-efficiency/
"...the boom in ecommerce plays an outsize role in worsening urban congestion and pollution."
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/southern-california-air-pollution-regulation-incentives
"neighbors complain they can’t even watch TV because of the trucks rattling by all hours of the day... They want to know why their kids all have asthma..."
"'I will be listening to those trucks — beep beep beep — 24/7' ... '[I]f you do these developments... there’s more impact than just a mile away from the site.'"
http://iecn.com/stop-building-warehouses-near-our-homes-and-schools/
"If warehouses created community wealth, the economic outcomes for our residents would be vastly different than the reality they face.... bring in quality jobs that actually support families and communities—not perpetuate the status quo that prioritizes profits and the ‘any job will do’ mentality, over our community that deserves better. We are not against warehouses, but we believe that they do not belong immediately adjacent to homes or schools where the health impacts would be most damaging and long lasting to children and families."
"Critics say those fulfillment center workers face strenuous conditions: workers are pressed to 'make rate,' with some packing hundreds of boxes per hour, and losing their job if they don’t move fast enough.... 'One of the things that we hear consistently from workers is that they are treated like robots in effect because they’re monitored and supervised by these automated systems.' ... If workers break from scanning packages for too long, the system automatically generates warnings and, eventually, the employee can be fired. Some facility workers have said they avoid bathroom breaks to keep their time in line with expectations."
https://www.mcall.com/news/watchdog/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917-story.html
"...in the Amazon warehouse... temperatures soar on hot summer days, production rates are difficult to achieve and the permanent jobs sought by many temporary workers hired by an outside agency are tough to get."
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/02/amazon-warehouses-poor-cities/552020/
"Workers say the warehouse jobs are grueling and high-stress, and that few people are able to stay in them long enough to reap the offered benefits, many of which don’t become available until people have been with the company a year or more.... They make it like the Hunger Games... That’s what we actually call it.”
https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/life-and-death-amazon-temp/
“IT’S GOING TO BE HARD,” one brochure warns. “You will be on your FEET the entire shift and walking upwards of 12 MILES per shift. (yeah, that's really far!) ... YOU WILL HAVE TO: LIFT, BEND, SQUAT, REACH & MOVE (there are no sit-down positions.)”
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/30/the-worlds-first-humanless-warehouse-is-run-only-by-robots.html
"JD.com called its facility the world’s first fully automated e-commerce warehouse."
"Amazon.com Inc is rolling out machines to automate a job held by thousands of its workers: boxing up customer orders... A key to its goal of a leaner workforce is attrition... Rather than lay off workers... the world’s largest online retailer will one day refrain from refilling packing roles. Those have high turnover because boxing multiple orders per minute over 10 hours is taxing work."
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56581266
"‘Fake' accounts claiming to be Amazon workers have been praising their working conditions on Twitter. Votes are currently being counted in Alabama to decide whether Amazon warehouse workers will form a union."
"Several speakers at Tuesday’s hearing... called for an independent study of the project’s environmental impact -- including increases in noise, air pollution and traffic. 'This is being rammed through without the community’s input.'"
https://www.mcall.com/business/mc-outlook-warehouse-automation-20170303-story.html
"Experts say in as soon as five years from now, advances in robotics and artificial intelligence will start replacing many of the human hands and feet that currently fill your online purchase orders."
"Walmart continues to invest in technology that increases efficiency in the supply chain and lowers costs of the system with fewer employees as machines do more of the work... It will build a new high-tech distribution center in Shafter, Calif.... much of the manual labor such as order picking will be automated."
"Internal injury reports suggest all that convenience is coming at the expense of worker safety."
https://news.trust.org/item/20210319120214-n93hk/
“I wanted to show up and do my job -- not to be watched all the time -- and that was not an option... It’s not a choice anyone should have to make.”
"Amazon now has more than 200,000 robotic vehicles it calls 'drives' that are moving goods through its delivery-fulfillment centers... That's double the number it had last year and up from 15,000 units in 2014. Its rivals have taken notice. Many are adding their own robots in a race to speed up productivity and bring down costs... A recent journalistic investigation of injury rates at Amazon warehouses from The Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal found that robotic warehouses reported more injuries than those without. The Reveal report found a correlation between robots and safety problems, such as in Tracy, California, where the serious injury rate nearly quadrupled in the four years after robots were introduced."
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-buying-dead-malls-reason-162839847.html
"Amazon [is] buying up struggling malls and turning them into distribution centers..."
https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7amyn/amazon-denies-workers-pee-in-bottles-here-are-the-pee-bottles
"[N]ot having ample time to use the bathroom because of the company's productivity quotas and disciplinary system has been a key concern of unionizing workers."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56628745
"Amazon has apologized to a US politician for falsely denying that drivers are, at times, forced to urinate in plastic bottles."
https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/08/amazon-warehouse-workers-prime-day-strike/
"Staff at a warehouse in Shakopee, Minnesota will hold six hours of strikes on July 15th (the start of Prime Day) to demand less stringent quotas and the conversion of more temporary workers into permanent employees. The quotas make the work dangerous and unreliable, according to the workers, and permanent work will help create a 'livable future.'"
Health
https://www.momscleanairforce.org/resources/how-diesel-pollution-affects-your-health/
"In addition to causing short-term problems like coughing, headaches, and nausea, breathing diesel exhaust can damage both the lungs and the heart, and it has been linked to very serious health problems."
https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/infographics/infographic-living-near-diesel-exhaust
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246477/
"[W]e found significantly increased truck and vehicle flow at both monitoring sites after the opening of the online grocery delivery service warehouse, particularly for overnight time windows, on the order of 10% to 40% change... the opening of a new distribution warehouse served to increase traffic, air pollution, and noise... Rather than building facilities that increase traffic, a known risk factor for negative health outcomes including asthma, we advocate for the development of protective environmental structures such as public parks and open spaces... it is possible that as the warehouse grows and increases the number of trucks and vehicles needed to provide service, the currently observed increase in traffic will be exacerbated... In addition to reduced air quality and potentially increased adverse health effects, traffic related pollution also includes increased noise. We estimate an average noise increase of 0.06 dBA from the increased traffic due to the online grocery delivery service warehouse, although this is an average over all time windows and sites, and thus does not adequately represent the annoyance caused by short durations of louder traffic noise, such as those caused by blown vehicle horns or truck air brakes.... While we have focused extensively on the air and noise pollution impacts of traffic, increased truck and car traffic may have many other negative outcomes for a community. These include reducing the ability to comfortably walk or cycle on local streets, the potential for increases in traffic accidents or pedestrian and cyclist accidents, increased travel times around the neighborhood or to local businesses, and decreased access to natural resources such as waterfronts or parks, because traffic can make it unsafe for community members to cross roads or find parking."
https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Storing-Harm.pdf
The concentration and proximity of diesel trucks and the warehousing facilities that service them threatens the health of people living and working near busy roads and logistics facilities. The trucks and trains that carry freight to be warehoused (and trucks idling engines at or near warehouse sites) pollute by emitting small toxic particles called particulate matter (PM) into the air. These particles are of varying size and toxicity—from PM10 (dust and soot of 10 microns or less in size, that can irritate the throat and lungs); PM2.5 (particles of 2.5 microns or less in size that are considered dangerous; and ultrafine particles (less than .01 microns in size) from fuel combustion, especially trucks and motor vehicles. Particulate emissions from diesel vehicles and equipment contribute to health problems that include cardiovascular problems, cancer, asthma, decreased lung function and capacity, reproductive health problems, and premature death. Beyond health threats from the transportation of freight, warehouses are also associated with negative impacts on residents’ quality of life. Residents often feel a sense that they are losing their community to encroachment by warehouses and kept in the dark about what is being stored in facilities near their homes. Trucks servicing the facilities park and idle on public streets, sometimes using streets as 'staging areas' because a warehouse property is over capacity or does not provide adequate on-site parking. There are also safety concerns as residents share roads not originally designed for heavy vehicles with lines of trucks. Warehouse centers also deprive local communities of land that could be used for future green space, schools and public buildings, and new residential, retail, and commercial centers.
"Motor vehicle emissions contribute to ambient levels of air toxics known or suspected as human or animal carcinogens. Exposures to air toxics can also cause noncancerous health effects, such as neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive and/or immune system damage."
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/overview-diesel-exhaust-and-health
"The majority of D[iesel] P[articulate] M[atter] is small enough to be inhaled into the lungs. Most inhaled particles are subsequently exhaled, but some deposit on the lung surface. Although particles the size of DPM can deposit throughout the lung, the largest fraction deposits in the deepest regions of the lungs where the lung is most susceptible to injury.
In 1998, C[alifornia] A[ir] R[esources] B[oard] identified DPM as a toxic air contaminant based on published evidence of a relationship between diesel exhaust exposure and lung cancer and other adverse health effects. In 2012, additional studies on the cancer-causing potential of diesel exhaust published since CARB’s determination led the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, a division of the World Health Organization) to list diesel engine exhaust as “carcinogenic to humans”. This determination is based primarily on evidence from occupational studies that show a link between exposure to DPM and lung cancer induction, as well as death from lung cancer. Download the IARC report (external site).
Because it is part of PM2.5, DPM also contributes to the same non-cancer health effects as PM2.5 exposure. These effects include premature death, hospitalizations and emergency department visits for exacerbated chronic heart and lung disease, including asthma, increased respiratory symptoms, and decreased lung function in children. Several studies suggest that exposure to DPM may also facilitate development of new allergies. Those most vulnerable to non-cancer health effects are children whose lungs are still developing and the elderly who often have chronic health problems."
https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/ch/handbook.pdf https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/air-resources-board-approves-land-use-planning-handbook https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/ch/landuse.htm
"Diesel PM has been identified by ARB as a toxic air contaminant and represents 70 percent of the known potential cancer risk from air toxics in California. Diesel PM is an important contributor to particulate matter air pollution. Particulate matter exposure is associated with premature mortality and health effects such as asthma exacerbation and hospitalization due to aggravating heart and lung disease. Avoid siting new sensitive land uses within 1,000 feet of a distribution center (that accommodates more than 100 trucks per day, more than 40 trucks with operating T[ruck] R[efrigeration] U[nit]s per day, or where TRU unit operations exceed 300 hours per week)."
https://dceg.cancer.gov/research/public-health-impact/diesel-exhaust-cancer-risk
"...the International Agency for Research on Cancer... part of the World Health Organization, classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (a group 1 carcinogen)."
"On average, warehouse positions, including distribution jobs, pay an annual salary of $26,000, according to the Department of Labor. That's half of the average U.S. median income... It is more than just low wages raising concerns. Distribution centers sometimes have short lifespans, as retailers relocate hubs to meet product demand in certain regions. Since the positions require few skills or training, the jobs are easily replaceable if a retailer moves to another region. That leaves communities scrambling to fill suddenly vacated industrial space... '[I]t is something for people who don't have much of an alternative.'"
"It’s especially unhealthful to live near freeways and roads frequented by diesel trucks, which spew many times more harmful gases and particles than cars. Diesel particulate matter, carcinogen-laden soot that deposits deep in the lungs, is responsible for the bulk of the cancer risk from air pollution... Experts are most concerned about people living near ports, warehouse distribution centers and other freight corridors. Asthma rates and cancer risk there can be so elevated that physicians have labeled it the 'diesel death zone.'”
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190415-how-air-pollution-is-doing-more-than-killing-us
https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony-Mathers.pdf
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/diesel-exhaust-and-cancer.html
"Exhaust from diesel engines brings a complex mixture of soot and gases to roadways, cities, farms, and other places. Health concerns about diesel exhaust relate not only to cancer, but also to other health problems such as lung and heart diseases."
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210315-why-noise-pollution-is-bad-for-your-heart
Scholarly and Policy Literature
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6247541-LVIA-Area-Freight-Study-Draft-Report.html
"The arrival of these freight-generating uses has enormous implications for the surrounding roadway network.... [R]oadways 'downstream' from these major freight generators will experience the strain from accommodating the cumulative traffic volume impacts, even though they may be miles away... [T]ransportation planning must be performed in tandem with land use planning. In other words, land developments need to be considered within the context of available supporting infrastructure."
https://blog.ucsusa.org/science-blogger/warehouses-as-an-environmental-justice-issue
"... warehousing facilities not only consume large tracts of land, but also bring about substantial environmental externalities. Freight trucks generate air pollutants, noise, pavement damage, and traffic safety threats while moving into and out of warehouses. According to studies in public health and traffic engineering, a truck creates significantly higher environmental impacts than a passenger vehicle. The exposure of local residents, especially children and elderly people, to truck related emissions like NOx and particulate matter would cause health outcomes including asthma and respiratory allergies."
"...the substantial expansion of warehousing land uses greatly affects the urban landscape and the built environment of local neighborhoods... Such a project may dramatically alter the appearance of the neighborhood and further affect the way local residents interact with their living environment...
"...the goods stored... may be environmentally threatening, especially when they are inflammable, explosive, or toxic..."
"Freight trucks regularly enter and exit warehouses. The movement, operation, and maintenance of trucks create considerable externalities. Various studies have documented the exposure of local residents to truck-related emissions and corresponding health outcomes including asthma and respiratory allergy in areas with high densities of truck activities..."
"Apart from air pollution, trucks also generate a high level of noise and disproportionately contribute to pavement damage... externalities related to warehousing operation potentially impair local environment, property values, and quality of life... the majority of the externalities are from truck movement around warehouses instead of activities within the facilities. As trucks move from different directions and at different times, warehousing-related impacts can extend to any adjacent neighborhoods with truck footprints... In spite that designated truck routes and truck operation time control strategies can possibly help mitigate truck-related impacts on local communities... these impacts remain severe in many neighborhoods with intensive warehousing activities nearby..."
"As warehousing systems are getting more sophisticated and automated, the demand for jobs, especially low-skilled jobs, will be decreasing. The job creation benefits may not last long... warehousing jobs are not well-paid or secure in the long run.... Many of warehousing jobs are temporary, furthering undermining the security and stability of employment benefits... the low per acre tax revenues and absence of sales taxes associated with warehousing development are other concerns of local governments."
https://carolinaangles.com/2018/11/26/distribution-centers-need-planning-too/
"...more pollution and congestion, especially in the areas around the distribution centers."
https://envhealthcenters.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Storing-Harm.pdf
"Particulate emissions from diesel vehicles and equipment contribute to health problems that include cardiovascular problems, cancer, asthma, decreased lung function and capacity, reproductive health problems, and premature death... Trucks servicing the facilities park and idle on public streets, sometimes using streets as “staging areas” because a warehouse property is over capacity or does not provide adequate on-site parking... residents share roads not originally designed for heavy vehicles with lines of trucks."
"...'hot spots' receive the brunt of diesel emissions, thereby raising health risks in the most impacted communities, near the ports, rail yards, warehouses and traffic corridors...."
"For the vast majority of Americans who don’t live in proximity to these warehouses, the issue of acute air pollution and traffic congestion is out of sight and out of mind."
"As freight trucks travel along these corridors and then into residential streets to get into warehouses distribution centers, they bring with them devastating consequences both from an air quality and traffic safety standpoint."
https://news.usc.edu/57524/warehouse-jobs-are-no-path-to-the-middle-class/
"Labor subcontracting and lack of employer accountability have fostered unsafe and unfair working conditions... Temporary workers who lack benefits and are paid low wages do much of the work."
"We find that opening an Amazon fulfillment center does lead to gains in warehouse jobs in a county, but does not lead to gains in overall county-level employment. These findings are consistent with theories arguing that luring establishments from existing national employers to a particular locale may just displace incumbent jobs. This seems to add evidence to an already-strong research base indicating that the zero-sum strategy of attracting existing employers away from other regions does not guarantee good economic outcomes. "
Consultancies
"The Internet never sleeps, and neither does e-commerce.... site deliveries may disturb residents, or cause congestion."
"Commercial vehicles... contribute disproportionately to urban pollution and congestion. They are more apt to idle, make stops and starts, and block traffic. In general, they generate higher nitrogen-oxide and other emissions."
http://www.adlittle.com/sites/default/files/viewpoints/ADL_Urban_Logistics.pdf
"...in terms of urban goods distribution, e-commerce [is] the fastest-growing driver of urban deliveries... a growing number of vehicles in urban areas implies increased congestion, air pollution and noise, which negatively impact traffic safety, quality of life and urban economic competitiveness..."
Advocacy Efforts
https://www.facebook.com/NoMegaWarehouse/
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/translational/community/the-impact/index.cfm
http://www.stopprojecthotdish.com/
https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/AmazonFactSheet_2015.pdf
http://coshnetwork.org/sites/default/files/Dirty%20Dozen%202018%2C%204-25-18%2BFINAL%281%29.pdf
https://www.ie2030.org/single-post/Bloomington-Warehouse-Develpment
https://sbairportcommunities.org/eastgate-air-cargo-logistics-center
http://www.warehouseworkers.org/warehouseworkersunited/ & http://www.warehouseworkers.org/about/
https://www.facebook.com/CedarLaneCoalition/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/172144171361771/
Resources
https://www.riversideca.gov/planning/pdf/good-neighbor-guidelines.pdf
One municipality's warehouse distribution center "good neighbor guidelines" suggesting important considerations in siting
Methodologies for calculating how many vehicle trips and truck trips a proposed distribution center warehouse will generate per 1000 square feet of warehouse space
Northeast Philly: PIDC/City of Philadelphia Promotion of Distribution Centers & Developer Interest
LD-brochure-v7.indd.pdf"Philadelphia Delivers: A Hub for Logistics and Distribution," PIDC, 2018.
"Philadelphia has abundant land that can accommodate the changing footprint of distribution needs... Access provided by Philadelphia’s transportation infrastructure is unparalleled among U.S. cities...Connections are direct and cost-effective."
PIDC promotional emphasis on Northeast Philadelphia as siting location for distribution centers
Update on status of commercial real estate market published by Colliers brokerage, October 2020, showing numerous planned and pending distribution center developments in NE Philadelphia
Exclusive: DHL signs big lease as Northeast Philadelphia industrial market stays hot | Philly Industrial Space.pdf11501-11601 Roosevelt Boulevard
April 21, 2020
"NorthPoint Development has signed a lease for a division of DHL International to occupy a 465,000-square-foot industrial building it is constructing at 11601 Roosevelt Blvd., a project that is helping to reshape Northeast Philadelphia into as a regional distribution market. "
https://www.philadelphialogisticscenter.com/
3025 Meeting House Road
August 6, 2020
"The lease in Bensalem and prospective lease on a 207,500-square-foot building at 3025 Meetinghouse Rd. in Philadelphia continues Amazon’s strategy of locking in last-mile delivery locations and creating a ring of distribution sites around the region."
Philly finally gets a million-square-foot warehouse - but not the thousands of jobs: UPS on Red Lion Rd. will be ‘highly automated’.pdf1 Red Lion Road
February 10, 2020
"[N]ew plants in Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania cities are part of a wave of 'highly automated' facilities that won’t create as many jobs per box as earlier ones.... Nearby residents and storekeepers... will have to get used to renewed truck traffic.
Philadelphia’s Industrial Market Is Ready for More Speculative Development – REBusinessOnline.pdfAugust 28, 2019
"Developers, tenants and brokers will be watching closely as over 5 million square feet of speculative industrial space is projected to deliver in the next 12 to 24 months."
https://www.2021woodhaven.com/
2021 Woodhaven Road
Here Are The 5 Most Valuable Aspects Of A Modern Distribution Center.pdfBisnow, November 20, 2019
"The current pace of expansion promises even greater strain on roadways and resources... In many cases, those neighbors are resentful, if not outraged, at the imposition of truck traffic and the associated pollution around their homes or businesses... 'Every one of us in the room has called a mall operator in the region to ask if they’d like to sell for us to convert their mall to industrial'..."
Last-Mile Warehouses Within Philly City Limits Are No Sure Thing.pdf"Last-Mile Warehouses within Philly City Limits Are No Sure Thing," Bisnow, November 7, 2019
"The urban street grid makes proximity to highways even more important than it is in the suburbs or rural distribution hubs like the Lehigh Valley for any facility that uses trucks to bring in or ship out goods. Complicating matters further is that truly undeveloped land suitable for industrial construction simply doesn't exist within city limits.... 'You could probably serve the same consumers more cost-effectively in South Jersey,'"
UPS_Considering_Phila._Site_for_Distribution_Hub__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___September_13_2019__pA9.pdf"UPS Considering Phila. Site for Distribution Hub," Inquirer, September 13, 2019
"United Parcel Service is among the companies considering the 138-acre former Budd Co. property... as a potential distribution hub... In tight markets... 'people do dumb things.'"
The Hot Industrial Market Might Finally Be Coming To Philadelphia.pdfBisnow, October 18, 2018
"...interest in land for distribution centers within Philadelphia city limits only started perking up 18 months ago, [Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. Senior Vice President Tom] Dalfo said. In the past six months, it has surged dramatically.... Northeast Philadelphia has plentiful land and quality access to highways, making it ground zero for distribution center interest in the city, Dalfo said."
News_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___November_28_2018__p9.pdfNews_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___November_28_2018__p13.pdfInquirer, November 28, 2018
"NorthPoint's Boulevard Logistics Center started work... renovating one of the two former IRS buildings at 11501-601 Roosevelt Blvd. to accommodate 122,000 square feet of warehouse space and a publicly accessible self-storage facility. The other building is to be demolished to make way for a new 465,000-square-foot warehouse." "Developers are racing to ready space for warehouse users... NorthPoint also has another Northeast Philadelphia property under contract with plans for more warehouse space, said [Project Manager R.J.] Agee, who declined to specify its location. "
GROUNDBREAKING FOR PHILADELPHIA LOGISTICS CENTER – PIDC.pdfhttps://pidcphilablog.com/groundbreaking-for-philadelphia-logistics-center/
PIDC Blog post, November 29, 2018
"Philadelphia Logistics Center is... ideally situated to absorb last-mile demand from retailers and logistics companies..."
News_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___November_3_2018__p4.pdfhttps://www.philly.com/philly/business/real_estate/commercial/ridge-development-byberry-philadelphia-logistics-center-pidc-transwestern-20181102.html
Inquirer, November 3, 2018
"...the project at 3025 Meeting House Rd. in the Byberry East Industrial Park... is the first modern, e-commerce serving distribution hub to be built in the city as a so-called speculative development, without any tenants lined up to use the space..."
News_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___July_22_2018__p22.pdfInquirer, July 22, 2018
"The tractor-trailers are dangerous, and there would be too many of them..."
News_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___March_9_2018__p11.pdfInquirer, March 9, 2018
part 1
"Commercial [Development Corp.] plans three large warehouse buildings totaling 1.6 million square feet... an area larger than each of the Comcast and Liberty Place office towers that dominate the Center City skyline."
News_Article__Philadelphia_Inquirer_The_PA___March_9_2018__p13.pdfInquirer, March 9, 2018
part 2
"...'the site is uniquely suited for 'big-box' warehousing and distribution,' broker [Richard] Gorodesky said..."
U.S. Steel’s once-mighty Fairless Works gets epic makeover to become e-commerce warehouses.pdf"NorthPoint proposes to create “the largest e-commerce, logistics, and multi-modal industrial project on the East Coast,” company documents say. It aims to develop 10 million square feet of new development in 18 buildings over the next seven years and suggests that could be expanded to 15 million square feet over 10 years."
Amazon closes in on Bucks County warehouse - WHYY.pdfhttps://whyy.org/articles/amazon-closes-in-on-bucks-county-warehouse/
"Amazon.com Inc. continues to expand its Philadelphia-area presence and is planning to lease a newly constructed 235,240-square-foot warehouse at 3750 State Rd. in Bensalem."
Everything You Need To Know About Hilco's Plan To Redevelop The Former PES Refinery.pdf