Staten Island is ‘Prime’-ed for growth.
Amazon plans to open its first NYC fulfillment center on Staten Island next year, the company said Wednesday.
The facility will cover 855,000 square feet on the island’s west shore and is expected to create more than 2,250 full-time jobs, according to the company and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Amazon has more than 70 fulfillment centers nationwide, but this will be the first in New York. Fulfillment centers primarily store, package and ship products available on Amazon’s website. The facility, set to open at the Global Logistics Park, will also feature technology like Amazon Robotics to help fill customer orders.
“Amazon’s decision to establish the first state-of-the-art fulfillment center in New York affirms our position at the forefront of the growing global innovation economy, and this investment will create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the Staten Island community,” Cuomo said in a statement. “New York continues to demonstrate that we have the workforce, the technology, and the pro-business climate to help companies grow and succeed.”
In addition to the jobs at the fulfillment center, Amazon will also retain 886 jobs in New York over the next five years, according to Cuomo.
To encourage the move, Cuomo said Empire State Development, a state agency, offered Amazon up to $18 million in performance-based tax credits.
Sanjay Shah, Amazon’s vice president of customer fulfillment, said in a statement the company was “grateful for the welcome we’ve received to bring thousands of new jobs with benefits starting on day one.”
Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said the west shore of the island has been dubbed the “jobs coast” and the new fulfillment center will be the “biggest single job creator in our borough’s history,” adding that “Staten Island is open for business.”
