Amazon station under way, will benefit Belton economy

By David Stone

The Belton Journal

A 127,000-square-foot Amazon delivery station being built in Belton will have a positive impact on the City, Bell County and the local school district, according to Belton Economic Development Corporation Director Cynthia Hernandez. “Property taxes from the facility will be good for all taxing entities, and it will create new jobs,” Hernandez said this week. “We don’t know just yet how many jobs it will create.” The facility will be located on Capitol Way on the east side of I-35. “Across I-35 from the Cadence Bank Center, we have a light industrial park,” she added. “Right now we have several facilities out there, including UPS and Frito Lay. Amazon will be just east of the UPS location.” “Construction is under way — right now they are deep into the dirt work,” she said. According to Amazon, the delivery station will be a “last-mile facility.” “This will be the last stop for packages before they are delivered to your doorstep,” Hernandez said. “When packages arrive in Belton, they will already have been packaged and addressed. They will be sorted here, then packed in trucks for delivery.” While Hernandez doesn’t know an exact date for completion of the project, she estimated that the construction timeline would be 12 to 18 months. Permits for the project have been approved, she said. With trucks bringing merchandise to the Belton station and delivery trucks going out, the new facility will mean an increase in traffic on and around I-35. Hernandez said the City always does a good job planning for new development and traffic issues likely will be kept to a minimum. Belton Mayor David K Leigh said there are three things that help alleviate traffic issues for installations such as the new Amazon facility. “Number 1 is the proximity to I-35,” he said. “This is like putting a sink or oven near the refrigerator. The further you are from the fridge, the more disruptive the cooking. Amazon is able to get on and off the interstate without creating traffic in congested areas. They really just have to deal with the congestion they create.” “Also our long-range plan includes multiple inlets and outlets to this facility so they don’t bottleneck,” Leigh added. “It’s important to have good flow with alternative roads to and from the facility.” “I-35 north and south, I-14, Holland Road, Loop 121, Hwy 317 — these all converge within a mile of this facility, and they are all away from normal rush-hour type congestion,” he said. Jessica Breaux, senior manager of economic development for Amazon, said the Belton station will allow faster deliveries and great service to customers in the surrounding area. Since 2010, Amazon has created more than 86,000 full- and part-time jobs in Texas and invested more than $70 billion across the state. These investments have contributed an additional $81 billion to the Texas economy and helped create more than 171,000 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires — from jobs in construction and logistics to professional services. In addition, more than 39,000 independent sellers — mostly small and medium-sized businesses — in Texas are selling to customers in Amazon’s store, creating thousands of additional jobs across the state. “I’m so excited for this project,” Hernandez said. “It shows Belton is growing and there are great opportunities here. We are in a great location, and city leaders have done a great job in creating a business-friendly environment.” Allie Payne, Amazon communications director for Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas, said this week the company doesn’t have additional updates on the project at this time.A 127,000-square-foot Amazon delivery station being built in Belton will have a positive impact on the City, Bell County and the local school district, according to Belton Economic Development Corporation Director Cynthia Hernandez. “Property taxes from the facility will be good for all taxing entities, and it will create new jobs,” Hernandez said this week. “We don’t know just yet how many jobs it will create.” The facility will be located on Capitol Way on the east side of I-35. “Across I-35 from the Cadence Bank Center, we have a light industrial park,” she added. “Right now we have several facilities out there, including UPS and Frito Lay. Amazon will be just east of the UPS location.” “Construction is under way — right now they are deep into the dirt work,” she said. According to Amazon, the delivery station will be a “last-mile facility.” “This will be the last stop for packages before they are delivered to your doorstep,” Hernandez said. “When packages arrive in Belton, they will already have been packaged and addressed. They will be sorted here, then packed in trucks for delivery.” While Hernandez doesn’t know an exact date for completion of the project, she estimated that the construction timeline would be 12 to 18 months. Permits for the project have been approved, she said. With trucks bringing merchandise to the Belton station and delivery trucks going out, the new facility