DOWNERS GROVE – An Amazon distribution center will soon call Downers Grove its new home.
The center–a roughly 504,000-square-foot space–will be located at the Bridge Point Grove industrial park on Finley Road, which offers easy access to I-355 and I-88, said Michael Cassa, president and CEO of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corp.
“Because Amazon is such a huge company, it makes big news,” Cassa said. “This is going to help tell our story–that they chose us.”
He explained further that Bridge Development Partners of Chicago recently built three large facilities at the Bridge Point Grove industrial park, and Amazon, alongside Cooper Hawk’s Winery, will lease and move into those warehouses.
Amazon does plan to occupy two of the facilities, Cassa said, which means that “this is a very important, large investment” and “is pretty amazing.”
“That helps show that Downers Grove is a good investment for companies,” he said.
Aside from the facilities, Bridge Development looks forward to constructing a parking lot to accommodate Amazon’s employees and vehicles.
Cassa added that the major delivery service company could bring about 150 job opportunities for Chicago area residents. In 2019, Amazon settled in a handful of nearby suburbs, including Melrose Park and Skokie. There are plans underway for another distribution center in Palatine and the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago.
“That’s why one of the reasons Amazon builds so many facilities in the United States, because they want the facilities relatively close to the customer,” Cassa said.
Plans for construction will begin this spring, weather pending, and the hope is to open by the fall.
“I know that the holiday season is a critical part of the Amazon business model, so I’m assuming they’d want to be open before the holidays,” he said.
As Cassa reflected on this new business venture, he remained excited about the future of Downers Grove.
“The biggest thing that it means for us is that it, again, establishes Downers Grove as a destination for business,” he said.
