Amazon sees end-of-year delivery on opening of massive Charlton warehouse

CHARLTON — Amazon’s 2.8-million square-foot distribution center, a building with a future that has been a giant question mark for the town since the plan was introduced in 2021, is set to open near the end of the year, according to a company representative.

The distribution center is at 53 Sturbridge Road, on a hill less than two miles from where Route 20 meets North Main Street.

In hard hats and reflector vests, workers could be seen at the site Wednesday, entering through the main entrance of the building, below the eyeless smile logo of the company.

Mike Murphy, a public relations representative for Amazon, said in an email the location is still “an active construction site.”

Murphy added that the site will employ about 1,000 people and is set to use technology from Amazon Robotics to pick, pack and ship products, to localized delivery centers.

Built on a 96-acre parcel, t he project was first pitched to the town in 2021 , when it was projected to cost between $300 million and $400 million.

According to an early description of the project by the town, the location was estimated to generate approximately 4,000 vehicle trips per day. Its size was anticipated to be 100 feet high, with 49 loading docks, 265 trailer parking stalls and 1,250 car parking stalls.

A tax increment financing agreement was approved by the town in November 2021.

In January, a spokesperson for Amazon said that the distribution center built on the former grounds of the Greendale Mall in Worcester is also slated to open later this year . That building is estimated to be 121,212 square feet.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Amazon sees end-of-year delivery on opening of massive Charlton warehouse