Amazon to open warehouse in Delta Township, bringing 500 jobs

DELTA TWP. -  A 1-million-square-foot Amazon.com, Inc. fulfillment center will bring more than 500 full-time jobs to Delta Township next year.

The company announced plans for the facility, Amazon's eighth fulfillment center in the state and the first in mid-Michigan, on Wednesday morning.

It will be built on 120 acres off Mt. Hope Highway, a joint venture between Detroit-based Sterling Development and Dallas, Texas-headquartered Hillwood Investment Properties that was previously dubbed "Project Spartan."

Hillwood and Sterling teamed up to build an Amazon distribution site in Shelby Township and announced in August plans for another Amazon distribution site at the old Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit.

The fulfillment center will house larger items, such as bulk paper goods, sports equipment, patio furniture, and larger home goods and electronics, according to a news release from the company.

Employees will package the items at the center before they are shipped to an Amazon delivery station or a carrier, said Amazon spokesperson Jessica Pawl.

"It’s really exciting news to be able to bring a fulfillment center to our Lansing area customers," Pawl said. "Lansing really makes sense, as we continue to expand in the state, as one of the markets we have not brought fulfillment centers to."

Construction of the facility, off the corner of Creyts Road and Mt. Hope Highway at 6500 Mt. Hope Highway, will start soon, Pawl said.

The land was rezoned from commercial to industrial in December, according to township records.

Though there is no opening date set for the new center, it's expected to be operational sometime next year, according to the company's news release.

Pawl declined to disclose the cost of the project.

Amazon expects to hire "more than 500" full-time associates to work at the fulfillment center, Pawl said.

"That will adjust with seasonal associates toward the holidays," she said.

The jobs will pay an average of $17 an hour, and new hires will have access to health care when they start, Pawl said.

“This expansion not only allows us to better serve our customers across the state, but also enables us to boost the local economy and drive more opportunities for job creation," Alicia Boler Davis, senior vice president of Global Customer Fulfillment for Amazon, said in the company's news release.

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The announcement came along with news that Amazon will open three other operations facilities in the state over the next few years. These include a sorting center and a delivery station planned for Gaines Township and a delivery station planned for metro Detroit, according to the company's news release.

Amazon currently operates a delivery station on West Mt. Hope Highway. It will continue to operate independently of the fulfillment center, Pawl said.

Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher said Lansing Economic Area Partnership assisted in bringing the fulfillment center to the region.

"With an over one-million-square-foot, state-of-the-art fulfillment center and over 500 jobs coming to Delta Township, this will be good for our region," Fletcher said in the news release.

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ