Horsham-based MRA Group is planning to redevelop a 163-acre property named the Chestnut Run Innovation Science Park (CRISP), which was formerly known as the DuPont Chestnut Run Plaza campus, in Wilmington. MRA Group recently acquired the property from DuPont and will now embark on a $550 million redevelopment project.
Located at 984 Center Road, four miles west of Central Wilmington, this Chestnut Run Innovation Science Park already houses up to 780,000 Square feet of existing lab, research, and advanced-manufacturing space in 14 buildings. These structures were left behind by DuPont Corp, the previous owners, but now MRA Group plans to build new structures and also enhance existing infrastructure such as labs and research spaces. Although DuPont Corp, has intentions of maintaining their presence on the campus and they have leased back two of the buildings, occupying 190,000 square feet.
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The redevelopment plan for the Chestnut Run Innovation Science Park will cover the addition of several new components to the campus which include an outdoor amphitheater, hotel, fitness facilities, and provisions for food services. There are also plans to revamp the empty un-leased buildings, which will give the structures a modernized look and change the designs that were constructed in the 1960s, ’70s, and 80s. The upgrades for these labs and research spaces are aimed at attracting life sciences tenants. According to the developers, the first renovated building is set to be delivered in late summer 2022; they also mentioned that the new buildings which will be built on the property could increase the campus size to about 2.1 million square feet.
The founder and CEO of MRA Group, Lawrence Stuardi expressed excitement to be back in Delaware with the CRISP project and stated that the vision was to set a new standard for innovative campus redevelopment of the Chestnut Run Innovation Science Park. The CRISP project in Wilmington will join MRA’s two previous campus redevelopments in Pennsylvania; a 6,000-square-foot Spring House Innovation Park in Lower Gwynedd Township and an 8,000-square-foot TEK Park in Lehigh Valley.
