NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Excitement is building in North Haven as construction on Amazon’s new fulfillment center in town will soon begin. Residents, town leaders and nearby businesses are looking forward to the jobs and residual business that Amazon workers will provide.
Though construction hasn’t started yet, the hope is that crews will break ground next month.
Cora Capelli is head waitress at The Bar, which is just down the street from where Amazon will build the new facility on Washington Avenue. She hopes more of the bar stools and tables at The Bar will eventually be filled.
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“We are actually looking forward to it,” Capelli said. “We’re hoping that it brings business during lunchtime and happy hour.”
She’s hopeful because the distribution center will bring about 1,800 jobs. That’s good news for nearby businesses, for the town, and anyone looking for a job.
“We’re working closely with Amazon,” said North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda. “Eventually there will be job fairs for this particular facility, this distribution center.”
But first, work on building the fulfillment enter will begin. In the next month before the groundbreaking, construction crews will set up and get the site ready. Building the more than 800,000 square foot facility will be a big job. The lot, which was once used by Pratt & Whitney, has been vacant for more than 15 years.
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“The way Amazon’s developer works, it is a systematic, logistical machine of things happening on a very fast track,” Freda said.
Most of Amazon’s workers will be full time. Capelli is looking forward to some of them stopping in, she hopes, throughout the day.
“We were really excited knowing they’d be up the street and having that many people up there working, coming down for lunch, happy hour, dinner,” Capelli said.
The facility is expected to be finished in spring 2019.
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