Upper Darby weighs mixed-use development on 14 acres in Drexel Hill
Upper Darby Township Council heard residents on July 6 about a proposed zoning amendment that could change how approximately 14 acres of privately owned open space along State Road in Drexel Hill may be developed.
The request, associated with Rockwell Drexel LLC, would create a community mixed-use district. That designation could permit a combination of residential and commercial development on the site. The land is currently zoned for up to 56 single-family homes, according to local reporting.
For nearby residents, the proposal could affect future housing, commercial activity, traffic and the use of open space. The available material does not establish how many housing units or how much commercial space the request would allow. It also does not provide a projected traffic volume or identify infrastructure commitments tied to the proposal.
No final decision documented
The retrieved sources show that the zoning amendment was considered and that residents were heard. They do not establish whether the council approved, rejected or tabled the request. The mixed-use district should therefore be treated as a proposal, not an approved development plan.
Upper Darby’s official agenda materials, published May 1, identify zoning matters in Drexel Hill and include a public hearing concerning 4221 Ferne Boulevard. That agenda item may be a separate zoning matter and is not being treated as the same project as the approximately 14-acre State Road proposal.
No next hearing date, vote deadline or other formal next step for the State Road amendment was identified in the retrieved material.
Separate stormwater projects in the capital program
Upper Darby’s proposed 2026-2030 capital program lists two Drexel Hill-area stormwater and streambank projects. It includes $2,850,438 for streambank stabilization at Drexel Gardens Park.
The program also lists $740,180 for the Naylor’s Run Creek West Basin project. Township materials say that project is intended to address flooding and storm-sewer surcharging affecting approximately 158 residential properties west of Naylor’s Run Creek.
Those figures are budget listings, not evidence that construction is complete. The retrieved records also do not connect either stormwater project to the proposed zoning amendment. For now, the central question for Drexel Hill is whether the township will change the zoning on the State Road site—and, if so, what development details and conditions would follow.
Sources
- News Briefs for July 10, 2026, Suburban Realtors Alliance, summarizing Philadelphia Inquirer reporting
- Upper Darby Township council agenda materials, Upper Darby Township
- 2026 Proposed Capital Budget and Five-Year Capital Program, Upper Darby Township
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