$90M Amazon Fulfillment Center, 1,000 Jobs Coming To Livonia

LIVONIA (WWJ) - There's new business and hundreds of new jobs coming to Livonia — courtesy of online retailer Amazon.

The Michigan Strategic Fund this morning approved incentives for Amazon to build a "high-volume" $90 million distribution warehouse in Livonia. The plan is to about a thousand workers to work in the fulfillment center, which will go up on Eckles Road near Schoolcraft, where a closed General Motors chassis plant sits.

Livonia will give the online retailer tax breaks for the project and Wayne County will spend more than $1.5 million on road improvements in the area.

"We're proud to welcome Amazon to Livonia and applaud the collaboration that took place to bring this significant capital investment and new, well-paying jobs to our community," said Wayne County Executive Warren Evans in a statement.  "Time is everything in today's global market, and Wayne County was glad to do our part to ensure Amazon has the public infrastructure it needs to support its e-commerce operations."

Crains Detroit Business reports that, according to a memo by the MEDC, the new jobs will in warehousing and storage.

Amazon currently employs 277 people in the state, the MEDC said. Crains reports that includes Brilliance Audio Inc., an audiobook publisher in Grand Haven, which is affiliated with Amazon. The company also has some corporate employees in downtown Detroit and a facility in Brownstown Township.

In a quote tweeted by the MEDC, Livonia Mayor Dennis K. Wright said the city is "thrilled to have Amazon choose Livonia for its biggest presence yet in Michigan."

MEDC said the Livonia facility is expected to open next October.