Work has begun on the site where the Amazon robotics center will grow. (Jonathan Spiers’s Photos)
The checkered flag is on Project Speedway, with Amazon’s first online retailer on the finish line.
The governor’s office announced Wednesday that Amazon will place a robotics center in the 2.6 million-square-foot industrial complex that Texas-based Hillwood Enterprises is planning on land north of Richmond Raceway.
The center is expected to create 1,000 jobs, despite the robotic technology involved in the installation. It is scheduled to begin operations in 2022 and will be the first of its kind in Central Virginia. A similar facility in Suffolk was announced last year and is set to open later this year.
Wednesday’s announcement confirms Amazon’s involvement with the development, codenamed Project Speedway. The five-story building, which is based on an area of 650,000 square meters, is one of several in the entire country that Hillwood developed with the online distributor signed as a tenant.
The building will rise on a 120-acre portion of the 247-acre site, which is located on the Richmond Henrico Turnpike Key and was used for overcrowded parking for the racetrack. Last week, the racetrack sold that 120-acre lot, at 5901 Richmond Henrico Turnpike, to Hillwood for $ 7.7 million.
The 247-acre stretch of Richmond Henrico Turnpike just north of the racetrack.
The rest of the land, at 5900 Richmond Henrico Turnpike, has remained the property of the runway since Wednesday, according to Henrico property records. The county recently valued this property at $ 1.5 million. Property 5901, where on-site work is already underway, was valued at $ 2.9 million.
The announcement did not specify how much Amazon intends to invest in the facility. A spokeswoman said the company did not disclose the figure.
“I can tell you that we are excited about the great jobs we have created across the state, which offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits from day one,” said Courtney Norman spokeswoman. “We are proud to call Virginia home and will continue to invest in the state and in the communities where our employees live and work.”
Norman said the facility’s robotic technology is designed to help employees who work with machines sort, pack and deliver smaller goods, such as books, electronics and household items. She said the robots are not intended to eventually replace employees.
“It has a real impact on how our employees perform their day-to-day tasks,” Norman said. “It’s easier for them because they work with assisted and collaborative technology to expand human coverage and also free up time for more skilled tasks.”
A rendering of the five-story, 2.6 million square meter building planned for the Amazon facility. (Kindness Hillwood Development Facebook)
The project was born in coordination with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Henrico Economic Development Authority, the Port of Virginia and the Greater Richmond Partnership.
Anthony Romanello, executive director of Henrico EDA, said the process began last year, when the racetrack and Hillwood approached the county on land repair for industrial development, leading to a repair request that was filed last fall. .
“Hillwood has done a number of projects with Amazon and NASCAR. This is the marriage, if you will, to bring these three groups together, ”said Romanello, adding that Amazon was brought into the picture once the resonance approval was approved.
Hillwood, based in Dallas, is led by Ross Perot Jr., the son of the late 90-year-old businessman and presidential candidate Ross Perot Sr. He has developed dozens of industrial projects across the country and in Poland, with several of his projects more recent being built for Amazon.
In March last year, Hillwood and NASCAR announced an exclusive arrangement to improve surplus land in the racing company’s real estate portfolio, with an initial focus on 13 markets across the country. The companies said at the time that the goal of developing unused land was to create jobs and increase wealth in the communities where NASCAR operates.
Romanello welcomed the efforts of all parties involved in bringing together the Richmond Raceway project.
“This project is about jobs for Henrico families. We are proud to be number 2 in Virginia for total jobs and, coming out of the pandemic, it has never been more important for the people of Henrico and Central Virginia to have good employment opportunities, ”said Romanello. “Partnerships like this will help us grow our economy.”
Amazon delivery trucks filled a destination area across the center of the fulfillment center on Wednesday.
Amazon is eligible for benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic Development and Infrastructure Grant Program and the Virginia Business Area Program. Employee training support will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
The facility will be added to two other fulfillment centers that Amazon operates in the region: 1901 Meadowville Technology Parkway in Chesterfield County and 5000 Commerce Way in Dinwiddie County. These centers employ more than 1,100 people combined and each is about 1 million square meters.
Other Amazon facilities in the region include a distribution center at 4949 Commerce Road in Richmond. The company also rents two 320,000-square-foot buildings in Chesterfield at 1601 Bellwood Road and in Hanover on the Northlake Industrial Park Stock Exchange. Both buildings were built by US developer Devon.
Amazon previously had a presence near the racetrack in an industrial park at 4101 Carolina Ave., where third-party contractor Amazon Bear Down Logistics stopped operations after Amazon severed ties with the company. Henrico-based Allegiance Logistics is currently coordinating Amazon deliveries to the racetrack, with a truck storage area installed across the road from the planned fulfillment center.
This is a developing story. Stay up to date with BizSense for updates.