The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Amazon site would be a key hub
Proposed ‘last-mile facility’ would serve delivery vans, town officials say
BRANFORD — A proposed Amazon facility in the town will serve as a final hub in the company’s vast delivery network, according to town officials briefed on the plans.
At 98,000-square-feet, the proposed distribution warehouse off Interstate 95 will also be a fraction of the size of Amazon’s massive and heavily automated fulfillment centers, which can employ more than 1,000 workers who receive, package and ship millions of products.
The center in Branford is expected to employ around 100 people, officials said.
“It’s been described to us as a last-mile facility,” said First Selectman James
Cosgrove, who said the proposed warehouse would be a launching point for a fleet of Amazon vans that deliver packages directly to customers’ homes.
Amazon declined to answer questions about the company’s existing footprint in Connecticut or its plans for a new facility in Branford.
An attorney who presented a preliminary draft of the plan to the Economic Development Commission last week did not respond to requests for comment.
“As a company, we are always looking to grow in communities and recruit and support talented people to join our team,” Amazon spokesperson Verena Gross said in an email.
“While I cannot comment on any prospective plans in Branford, I can say we are proud of the investments we’ve made in the state and look forward to continued growth and prosperity to best serve our customers,” Gross said.
Amazon operates largescale fulfillment centers in Windsor and North Haven, according to the website Seller Essentials. Smaller sorting centers are also located in Wallingford and Meriden.
The Windsor facility, which tops 820,000square-feet, opened last year after receiving a threeyear property tax abatement and a reduction in permit fees, the Hartford Business Journal reported.
Perry Maresca, chairman of the Branford Economic Development Commission, said Amazon representatives have not requested a reduction in taxes or fees during early discussions with town leaders. The company has also not provided salary or wage information for the workers it plans to hire, he added.
The proposed site of the project, an abandoned shopping center long ago destroyed by fire, is an attractive area for development, local officials said.
Maresca said that previous discussions to build a Home Depot or Costco on the property have all fallen through over the years.
The property is almost entirely covered with impervious concrete and asphalt that contributes to local stormwater runoff problems, Cosgrove said, adding that tall weeds growing through cracks in the pavement have turned the site into an “eyesore.”
Cosgrove said Amazon’s plans include addressing the problem with a new system to handle runoff, and that the company will time its deployment of delivery vans to avoid contributing to rush-hour traffic.
“This is an opportunity for [the property] to be put back into use as a productive site,” that would create jobs and bring in tax revenue, Cosgrove said.
Both officials said that Amazon indicated to them that it plans to formally submit plans to the town next month.
Branford Town Planner Harry Smith said the project will need approvals from both the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance allowing the developers to build over 40 feet high.