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WEST FARGO — A second Amazon facility in West Fargo will complement the online retailer's massive distribution center under construction near Hector International Airport in Fargo slated to open later this year.
Amazon, which tends to keep details of its building projects private, has leased a 63,000-square-foot building at 700 Main Avenue East in West Fargo for a last-mile delivery station. The company uses the facilities to speed up deliveries to customers' homes.
West Fargo Mayor Bernie Dardis expects the station to be home to many delivery trucks and vans. Many of those vehicles will likely be electric-powered, he said.
"We're absolutely delighted," the mayor said. "Anytime you can have a corporation like Amazon coming into your community and creating some pretty good jobs, it's a good thing."
Dardis said he did not know many other details about the project, including the facility's opening date.
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In a brief statement, Amazon said it expects to hire about 100 people for the delivery station. That would be on top of the estimated 500 workers the company says it intends to hire at the 1.3 million-square-foot, two-story fulfillment center north of Hector International Airport.
At its north Fargo center, employees will pack and ship large customer purchases such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles and other household goods.
The primary distribution facility is being constructed by Minneapolis-based developer Ryan Companies and numerous subcontractors. Construction is proceeding steadily, and as of Friday, April 16, the building appeared to be enclosed. Crews continue to work on the interior, truck loading docks, parking lots, streets, drainage and other facets of the massive project.
Amazon did not return phone calls from The Forum requesting more information on the West Fargo site. A spokeswoman said earlier this year that Amazon does not verify any construction updates and doesn't plan to do so in the future.
The West Fargo delivery site is part of a planned four-building warehouse development project along Main Avenue.
Project manager Levi Arneson, whose development company Four Suns has partnered with Forum Communications Co. on the project, said Amazon signed the lease in February.
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Ryder Logistics is leasing a 200,000 square foot warehouse — the largest on the site — to store agricultural products, Arneson said.
Another warehouse under construction will be available this summer. There is still room for a fourth building, which Arneson said will be a copy of the building Amazon is leasing.
