Amazon to build new fulfillment center in south suburb

Amazon said Friday it plans to build a new fulfillment center in southwest suburban Channahon, making it the eighth major distribution facility for the online retail giant in the Chicago area.

The Seattle-based company said the 1 million square foot center will bring more than 500 full-time jobs to the area, with a starting pay of $15 an hour. The center will be used to select and ship large customer items, such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles, and larger household goods.

The Channahon center, in an industrial park near Interstate 55 between Route 6 and Bluff Road, will join existing Amazon facilities in Monee, Crest Hill, Romeoville, Aurora, Waukegan, and two in Joliet.

Channahon officials said Friday construction has begun on the 140-acre site, with the facility expected to open in October 2020.

Mayor Missey Moorman Schumacher noted Amazon's decision to build in the community was made without tax incentives.

"We did not offer them anything and they came anyway," she said. "We were pretty pleased with the decision."

Village Administrator Thomas Durkin added that when completed, Amazon will become the village's largest employer and could generate anywhere between $750,000 to $1 million annually in property tax revenue.

"It will help to diversify our tax base and add to the local economy," he said.

Amazon's vice president of global customer fulfillment Alicia Boler Davis noted the company has invested more than $4 billion in the state since 2010 through its local operations. She added the company already employs 11,000 employees across the state.

The project is being developed by Rosemont-based Venture One Real Estate.