Amazon to create 1,000 jobs with Henrico fulfillment center

Amazon.com Inc. plans to build a multistory, 650,000-square-foot facility robotics fulfillment center at Richmond Raceway in Henrico County, creating 1,000 jobs, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday.

The center, which will be built on 119 acres of ancillary land used for overflow parking by the raceway, is expected to open in 2022.

“Amazon continues to demonstrate confidence in Virginia by expanding and reinvesting in our commonwealth,” Northam said in a statement. “This new robotics fulfillment center in Henrico County is the latest milestone in the growing partnership between Amazon and Virginia, and reinforces our standing as both a technology hub and a leader in supply chain management. As we work to rebound from the impacts of the pandemic, we are grateful for Amazon’s commitment to supporting our communities and providing jobs to thousands of Virginians.”

The robotics facility is the second such Amazon facility in development for Virginia. The mammoth e-tailer also is building a $230 million, five-story robotics fulfillment center in Suffolk’s Northgate Commerce Park, as well as a $50 million, 650,000-square-foot import processing center in Chesapeake’s Western Branch area.

The Henrico facility will be located on one of two undeveloped parcels totaling 247 acres north of Azalea Avenue, east of Wilkinson Road and on either side of Richmond Henrico Turnpike that have previously been used by the raceway for overflow parking.

Richmond Raceway, which is owned by NASCAR, last week sold the 119-acre portion of the parcel where Amazon’s fulfillment center will be located to Dallas-based Hillwood Investment Properties. Hillwood worked with Richmond Raceway to get the two parcels rezoned for industrial use in 2020 as part of a larger partnership with NASCAR to redevelop surplus land at raceway tracks around the nation and spur economic development in communities where NASCAR operates. Hillwood has also partnered with Amazon to develop several distribution center projects around the country.

Amazon is currently building its $2.5 billion HQ2 East Coast headquarters in Arlington, where it has hired about 1,600 of its projected 25,000 to 37,850 HQ2 employees. The company has more than 27,000 full-time and part-time employees in Virginia, where it has 10 fulfillment and sortation centers and delivery stations, as well as 13 Whole Foods Market locations and three Prime Now hubs.

“Amazon has been proud to call Virginia home since 2006,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “Collectively, it takes a strong workforce and local support network to serve our customers across the commonwealth and the region. The launch of this state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Central Virginia will create more than 1,000 jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits starting on the first day of employment. I’m excited to see Virginians continue to excel at Amazon, building better and brighter futures.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with the Henrico Economic Development Authority, The Port of Virginia and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the fulfillment center for Virginia. Funding and services to support Amazon’s employee training activities for the center will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program. Amazon is eligible to receive benefits from the Port of Virginia Economic and Infrastructure Development Zone Grant Program for the project, as well as the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.