Zoning Committee Approves Plan For Amazon Distribution Center In Pullman
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Amazon distribution center already under construction in the Pullman neighborhood cleared another legal hurdle on Tuesday, as the City Council Zoning Committee signed of on the development plan for the site.
The 144,000-square-foot warehouse would be built on the last vacant parcel of Pullman Park, a 180-acre mixed-use development alongside the Bishop Ford, roughly between 103rd and 111th Streets.
The Pullman Park project has created approximately $350 million in economic development, and more than 1,300 jobs over the past decade, according to Maria DiGrino, an attorney for DLA Piper, which represents Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, which owns the land where the facility is being built.
"This proposed development represents a major milestone. This parcel is the last undeveloped parcel in Pullman Park, representing the fulfillment of over 10 years of planning, community, and economic development, and construction activity to create an economic engine to revitalize the Pullman neighborhood," she said.
The 40-acre Amazon site will include more than 1,200 parking spaces, 12 trailer truck parking spaces, and 13 loading docks. Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), whose ward includes Pullman Park, said 600 of those parking spaces will be equipped for electric vehicles.
"It just goes to show that Amazon has a commitment towards the future to make sure that they have environmentally safe and friendly vehicles, and they're looking forward to moving that in this project," he said.
Last year, Amazon led a $700 million investment in Michigan-based electric pickup maker Rivian, which plans to begin production of all-electric vehicles in a factory in Normal, Illinois, next year. Rivian is making 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon.
Beale, who has been championing the Amazon warehouse project for months, said he expects the project will help spur further economic investment in the neighborhood, which has already seen an increase in retail, grocery, and restaurant options since the start of the Pullman Park project.
"Having a partner with Amazon, which is bringing a lot of traffic and a lot of jobs and opportunity, is really going to help us leverage more restaurants and more hotels that are coming to the South Side," he said.
Beale said the walls and roof of the warehouse already have gone up, and construction should be completed before Oct. 31, in time for the holiday shopping season. He said the facility will help improve Amazon's ability to provide next-day and same-day shipping in Chicago.
"This is another huge step, as far as the continuation of the renaissance that we have going on in the 9th Ward, where we have been able to leverage three-, four-hundred million dollars of private-public investment," Beale said. "We're extremely blessed to have a new partner in the community by the name of Amazon."
The alderman said Amazon has made a commitment to hire local residents for both the construction project and for permanent jobs at the distribution center. He also said the company has hired a consultant to make sure there is sufficient participation from minority-and women-owned businesses in the construction project.
The zoning change and development plan for the Amazon warehouse now goes to the full City Council for consideration on Wednesday.