Is Amazon coming to Grand Island?

Grand Island, the small New York town outside Buffalo, is all but promised to have a new Amazon warehouse coming its way, but the mega internet retail and cloud computing giant has yet to confirm that they have plans to build on the site. Rachael Lighty, a spokeswoman for the company, told City & State that Amazon has a policy of not commenting on its future roadmap and is not yet commenting on any specific operations in New York.

Years in the works, a mystery company finalized a deal last fall to purchase nearly 200 acres on Grand Island to build what many assume will become a new distribution center for Amazon. The proposal, submitted by developer TC Buffalo Development, describes only a plan for an “e-commerce storage and distribution facility.” The assumed development comes as Amazon continues to expand its footprint across the rest of the state and in this region specifically, with a distribution center focused on last-mile deliveries under construction in Tonawanda, a town that sits in between the city of Buffalo and Grand Island.

So why the secrecy over the project – code-named “Project Olive”?

As anyone who witnessed Amazon’s failed attempt to set up a new headquarters in Long Island City knows, the company doesn’t exactly have the luxury of entering communities quietly anymore. In reference to the assumed new Amazon center on Grand Island, some have raised concerns about increased traffic congestion and environmental effects of the project. 

But others are more excited. The editorial board of The Buffalo News – a publication that, along with other local outlets, has reported extensively on the project – wrote that the new development is a welcome addition that will help boost the region’s economy. The project is expected to create 1,000 new jobs.

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