A planned $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, has moved forward through the local development process as planners recommended final subdivision and land development approval for the project.
Known as Project Kennedy, by Eli Lilly calls for a 797,432-square-foot manufacturing campus on approximately 150 acres near Fogelsville, west of Allentown and close to Interstate 78.
The project is expected to create about 2,000 construction jobs during its buildout and begin manufacturing operations in 2031.
Project Kennedy advances on 150-acre site
Project Kennedy has moved through the local planning process over several months.
Upper Macungie Township’s March 18, 2026, Planning Commission agenda identified the project as Docket No. 2409 and described plans for a 797,432-square-foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at 8810-9802 Main Street. The preliminary development plan also included parking, stormwater management and utility infrastructure.
The planned campus will occupy approximately 150 acres near Adams Road and Interstate 78, west of Fogelsville.
On August 19, 2026, the Upper Macungie Planning Commission recommended final subdivision and land development approval, marking another step toward construction of the $3.5 billion facility.
The project will be built in phases. The first phase includes an amenities building and visitor center in the southwestern section of the site.
The campus will use a combination of above-ground and below-ground utilities and will eventually operate across three shifts lasting between eight and 12 hours.
The 150-acre property will provide space for the manufacturing buildings, utilities, parking, security infrastructure and worker amenities.
Nearly 800,000-square-foot plant will assemble injectable medicines
The planned 797,432-square-foot facility will focus on the final assembly and packaging of injectable medicines.
The site is expected to handle products including Zepbound, the company’s weight-loss medicine, as well as Retatrutide, a next-generation treatment that remains in clinical trials.
Rather than producing every pharmaceutical ingredient at the Pennsylvania site, the planned operation will combine externally manufactured pharmaceutical ingredients into finished solutions and prepare injectable medicines for retail packaging.
That manufacturing model will allow the campus to serve as a major final-stage production facility for injectable medicines.
The development will also include logistics and storage infrastructure to support manufacturing operations.
Construction workforce expected to reach 1,200 workers
The scale of the project will create a substantial temporary construction workforce.
Project officials told local planners that about 1,200 construction workers will use rented parking facilities on Tilghman Street and travel to the development site by shuttle buses.
Another 300 administrative employees will also use rented parking and shuttle transportation.
The full construction workforce is not expected to occupy the site simultaneously.
Lilly also plans multiple worker welfare areas where construction employees can access food during their shifts. Workers are expected to remain onsite for their full shifts, limiting unnecessary traffic moving in and out of the construction area.
The project team plans multiple security checkpoints around the worksite, while vehicle tires will undergo washing before vehicles enter the site.
Campus will include extensive security infrastructure
The completed manufacturing campus will operate with a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week security system.
The security design includes card-access controls and a visitor center where visitors can undergo screening before entering the facility.
An eight-foot perimeter fence will surround the site. Along Main Street, the fence will incorporate architectural elements, while the section along Interstate 78 will transition to chain-link fencing.
The project team also told planners that the facility will not use chemicals covered by the federal Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards.
Traffic and logistics form part of project design
The scale of Project Kennedy means transportation will remain a major element of the development.
Earlier planning information indicated that the facility could generate approximately 45 trucks per day, equivalent to about 90 truck trips.
The development will include dedicated access arrangements for trucks and passenger vehicles, along with onsite infrastructure designed to support storage and manufacturing logistics.
The campus will also use automated storage and retrieval capabilities, helping streamline movement of materials within the manufacturing complex.
The project’s location near Interstate 78 gives the facility direct access to a major regional transportation corridor while also placing additional traffic demands on the surrounding road network.
Construction expected through 2029
Construction of the manufacturing campus is expected to continue through 2029, with manufacturing operations projected to begin in 2031.
The development represents one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing investments in the Lehigh Valley and will transform a 150-acre site near Fogelsville into a large-scale injectable medicine production campus.
The Project Kennedy in Upper Macungie also arrives as other pharmaceutical companies expand U.S. manufacturing capacity. Genentech’s $750 million Hillsboro manufacturing facility in Oregon, announced August 20, 2026, will similarly add capacity for injectable medicines and drug-delivery devices.
Together, the developments highlight continued investment in U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure, from new medicine production capacity to the final assembly and delivery of injectable treatments.
Eli Lilly’s Project Kennedy in Upper Macungie: Factsheet
- Developer: Eli Lilly and Company
- Location: Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania
- Investment: Approximately $3.5 billion
- Building area: 797,432 square feet
- Site: Approximately 150 acres
- Operations: Expected to begin in 2031
- Construction timeline: Expected through 2029
- Construction jobs: 2,000
- Construction workforce: 1,200 workers
- Manufacturing focus: Injectable medicines and final drug assembly
- Key products: Zepbound and Retatrutide
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