List Your Equipment For Free  /  Seller Login

Jacksonville, N.C., Site Is Home to Another New Amazon Facility Under Construction

Amazon is building a new facility in Jacksonville, NC, creating 200 jobs and boosting the economy; part of a larger effort to improve delivery speeds, create jobs, and invest in North Carolina communities. City officials are reinvesting proceeds to continue economic development.

Tue January 21, 2025 - Southeast Edition
New Bern Sun Journal


Shutterstock photo/Danille Nicole Wilson

Amazon is building a 100,000-sq.-ft. facility in the eastern North Carolina city of Jacksonville that will add 200 jobs and a boost to the local economy, the New Bern Sun Journal reported Jan. 20.

The online retailer told Jacksonville officials that the new facility, which is under construction next to the city's water treatment plant on New Frontier Way, is expected to open in late November, just in time for the traditional start of the 2025 holiday shopping season.

The Sun Journal reported Jan. 20 that the new structure is one of four "last-mile" facilities that Amazon is set to open in North Carolina. "Last-mile" locations are designed to be the final stops in the company's transportation network before packages are delivered to customer doorsteps.

Similar facilities in the Tarheel State are due to be built in Mount Airy, Southern Pines and Tarboro. The online retailer also plans to open a same-day delivery facility in Kannapolis, north of Charlotte.

"North Carolina is a great place to do business and we're proud to be expanding our operations footprint across the state through collaborative partnerships and our continued commitment to economic growth," Amazon Economic Development Manager Sam Blatt said in a statement. "We're looking forward to better serving local customers, creating job opportunities for the talented workforce in this region, and appreciate the support we've received from these communities."

At the new Jacksonville facility, employees will sort packages according to delivery routes and Amazon delivery drivers will finish the shipping cycle by delivering the goods to the customer.

Anthony Prinz, Jacksonville's assistant city manager, told the Sun Journal that Amazon will hire more than 200 employees to work at the facility, which should be a boost to the local tax base and economy.

"It's going to provide better service to our local residents from Amazon [by] having a local facility to help get packages delivered more efficiently and effectively," Prinz explained. "But from my perspective, I think the most important aspect is that this is kind of the city's first big step into proactive economic development."

The building site is within the Jacksonville Business Park, created by the city as an area of development for back-office businesses and business incubation. The business complex has been under development for years, but Prinz said Amazon is its largest investor so far.

In speaking with the New Bern news source, he added that leadership from Jacksonville's mayor and city council, which has included allowing staff to go after state grants and other revenue sources, has had a significant impact on making the project happen.

"Economic development and job creation are two of the city's highest priorities to preserve the quality of life we enjoy here in Jacksonville," Mayor Sammy Phillips told the Sun Journal. "Over the past several months, we have had the pleasure of collaborating with Amazon to establish their presence in our business park, which advances both of those priorities. We welcome them to our community and look forward to their success here in Jacksonville."

City Reinvested Amazon Proceeds in Another Property Near Park

Prinz said Amazon told city leaders that its plans to have the building's construction substantially complete this summer, with it open and operational when Black Friday's packaging demands surge skyward just after Thanksgiving Day.

What is even better, Prinz explained, is that the proceeds generated from selling the land to Amazon are already being reinvested.

"In fact, we've already purchased another piece of land to continue our economic development pursuit, and we want to keep the momentum up," he said. "Essentially, we bought a large piece of property adjacent to the business park and we're going do the same thing all over again."

Jacksonville municipal officials did not even have to put the Amazon property on the market before the company scooped it up, according to Prinz.

"There are businesses that want to come here but having site-ready development parcels [are] somewhat rare," he noted. "So, by us having that, they were able to just walk in, get their development approval, and then start construction."

Each of Amazon's new North Carolina facilities will help improve delivery speeds for customers, boost local economic growth, and add to the more than 24,000 jobs created and $12 billion invested in the state since 2010, company officials said.

In addition, 2024 saw Amazon donate more than $30,000 to a variety of local nonprofits and organizations in the state, a practice the company plans to continue, according to the Sun Journal.




Today's top stories

Turner, Walsh Collaborate to Construct New Ryan Field

Alex Lyon & Son's 11-Day Sale in Bushnell, Fla., Marks Company's 32nd Annual Florida Auction

Longto Tree Service Lays Strong Foundation for Successful Business

Cincinnati's I-471 Bridge Reopens Exactly 100 Days After Fire

Skanska Brings Engineering Muscle to Manage Bridge Jobs in Bay State

Volvo Construction Equipment Unveils New Lineup of Articulated Haulers

Baltimore's Collapsed Key Bridge Set to Be Replaced By a Soaring Cable-Stayed Span

N.Y.'s I-81 Corridor Work Promises to Be Very Heavy During 2025