Exclusive | Amazon’s 2 massive new Tri-Cities warehouses won’t open on time
Tri-Cities jobseekers hoping to snag a job at one of Amazon’s new facilities may have to wait longer.
Amazon is delaying the opening of its two massive Pasco warehouses currently under construction.
Originally estimated to be complete in August and opening in September, with hiring over the summer, they have now pushed back their timeline.
The warehouses each clock in at more than 1 million square feet, and would bring on 1,500 total employees, with 2,800 vehicles on Tri-Cities roadways daily.
In an e-mail, Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll confirmed the opening of the warehouses is being delayed. She did not cite a specific reason for the change.
“We’re still excited to launch in Pasco, though we’ve had to adjust our timing,” Carroll said. “We know the community is excited about the opportunities we’ll be bringing to the area, and we look forward to sharing new timing along with information about the great jobs, industry-leading pay, and comprehensive benefits we’ll be bringing to the community just as soon as we can.”
“Since 2010, we’ve invested more than $129 billion in Washington in the form of infrastructure and compensation to employees, and have created more than 85,000 full-time jobs (as of Q4 2021),” Carroll said.
“We’re proud of the investments we’ve made in Washington state and look forward to continued prosperity in the region,” she wrote.
While Amazon did not discuss the length of the delay, a source not authorized to speak on the record told the Herald the opening most likely will not be until spring 2023.
Hiring challenges
Also, Tri-City Development Council President Karl Dye confirmed the area’s main economic development leader has been unable to connect with the e-commerce giant to coordinate a hiring campaign.
“We’re still trying to connect with them,” Dye told the Herald. “I know that we’re concerned about that segment of our workforce, that entry-level work position would compete with other areas like warehouse and logistics.”
Dye said that hiring in those areas is already a challenge for many companies, and there is concern that Amazon moving in will pull from those companies if the hiring isn’t done as a regional effort with a component focused on bringing more workers to the Tri-Cities.
“Some of our companies are challenged to hire everyone they need,” Dye said. “When a new employer comes in and starts to hire, you see a lot of churn in that sector of the workforce.”
If Amazon tries to hire too quickly, it could lead to other companies either losing their work force or being forced to heavily incentivize current workers to stay, which can be hard to do when you’re competing with one of the world’s largest companies.
Amazon also told the Herald they are working to remove fake or misleading job listings that purport to show applications for the Pasco warehouses. Those listings began popping up in Google searches earlier this year.
Warehouse delays
The delay at the Pasco warehouses are among a number of new facilities Amazon has pushed back this spring.
Amazon recently delayed the opening of a new warehouse in Clay, NY, according to Syracuse.com. It was the fourth delay so far for that location.
The company also announced a Canton, Ohio, area warehouse would be delayed to 2023, according to CantonRep.com
Around the same time, the Clarion Ledger reported that Amazon was delaying a nearly complete warehouse in Madison County, Miss. The company reportedly told the news outlet that supply chain issues were the cause of that delay.
Pasco facilities
Despite both warehouses clocking in at around 1,050,000 square feet, the facilities will be much different because of the types of products each is planned to house.
They are expected to put a combined 2,800 vehicles on roadways daily in the Tri-Cities. Most of the traffic will be from employees, with a total of about 650 trucks in and out of the warehouses.
The eastern warehouse — or Project Oyster at 1361 S. Road 40 East — sits on 162 acres and will handle smaller goods such as household items, books, toys and technology.
Oyster is the larger of the two projects. It isn’t just a slightly larger footprint though, the inside will have an additional 252,000 square feet of space on a mezzanine level.
The western warehouse, which is directly across the street at 1202 S. Road 40 East, is known as Project Pearl. It sits on 104 acres.
It will hold larger items such as furniture, outdoor equipment, as well as large packages of paper goods and pet supplies.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 12:59 PM.
