Pet retailer Chewy eyes state for $110M fulfillment center
WINDSOR — Chewy, the online retailer that ships pet products to your door, is seeking to expand in the Northeast and the town of Windsor is considering pursuing the proposed $110 million fulfillment center by offering tax incentives.
In exchange for building in Windsor, Chewy is seeking $3.9 million in tax abatement and permit fee waivers, according to documents submitted to the Windsor town council. The project would garner the town $4.6 million in fee and tax revenue, according to town projections.
The company has also requested and been offered state incentives, according to the documents.
Chewy plans to build a 750,000-square-foot warehouse at an estimated cost of $110 million with $65 million of equipment, promising 1,000 local jobs within three years, the documents say. Payroll is estimated at $31 million annually, with median company wages ranging between $16 and $24 an hour. At or above market wages are a condition of the town’s agreement.
The council on Monday night moved to refer the proposal to the finance committee for review.
The property in Windsor, 93 acres at 2000 Day Hill Road, is one of several finalists for the project. Boston, Baltimore, Enfield and Windsor Locks are other sites under consideration. A landlord would build to suit and lease the property to Chewy.
The company, which boasts a one to two day shipping time, is headquartered in Florida and currently serves the Northeast from a Pennsylvania facility.
Chewy’s fulfilment center would not be the first in the town. Amazon, which operates a 1.5 million-square-foot facility on the same road as the proposed Chewy site, this year opened a 3.5 million-squarefoot distribution center in town to meet demand and increase its own shipping speed.