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As Amazon prepares to bring three Lower Bucks County warehouses online, LevittownNow.com has learned the company continues to look additional potential expansion in the area.
Sources close to local government, businesses, and commercial real estate have said Amazon has looked at several properties for potential further development in Falls Township and Middletown Township.
Several sources suggested that NorthPoint Development’s planned massive redevelopment of the U.S. Steel site is thought to be likely site for Amazon in the future. The company has a solid relationship with Amazon and is the landlord for a number of their facilities.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
“Amazon is a dynamic business and we are constantly exploring new locations. We weigh a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve customers, however, Amazon has a policy of not commenting on our future roadmap,” said Amazon spokesperson Andre Woodson.
The company said they are close to planning to open the soon-to-be completed 145,000-square-foot warehouse at 6300 Route 13 by the U-Haul facility near the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, the 396,000-square-foot warehouse on Geoffrey Road in the Morrisville section of Falls Township, and a 235,240-square-foot building off State Road in Bensalem Township near the Bristol Township border.
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While Amazon said the three sites are expected open in 2021, the Falls Township facility was abuzz with activity in the days before Christmas.
An Amazon employee who was not authorized to speak to the media said the Lower Bucks County expansion is part of the company’s drive to reduce delivery times. The company is making a nationwide push to get orders of many products to customers within hours and not days in major metropolitan areas.
The so-called delivery stations are different than larger fulfillment centers and are entirely focused on last-mile deliveries, the employee said.
Bloomberg News reported last summer that Amazon has committed to building 1,000 new delivery stations to speed up package delivery.
“Beyond Amazon’s retail rivals, the mass opening of small, quick-delivery warehouses poses a significant threat to United Parcel Service Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service. Being fastest in the online delivery race is so critical to Amazon’s business that it doesn’t trust the job to anyone else and is pulling back from these long-time delivery partners,” the news outlet reported.
Amazon already operates warehouses surrounding the area in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and on Cabot Boulevard in Middletown Township. To support the company’s current operations, Amazon leases parking at the Reedman-Toll property on Maple Avenue (Route 213) in Middletown Township and a former used car dealership lot near the Falls Township Municipal Complex on Lincoln Highway in Falls Township.
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Amazon expects to start hiring for their new facilities soon and is seeking new partners for the Amazon Flex program, a company official said.
Amazon has submitted plans to Bristol Township to take over the closed Window Wizards factory and land behind it to turn the site into a parking area for the new Route 13 delivery station. The site for the parking lot is about 10 acres and would be designed with about 575 spots.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Throughout their search process in Lower Bucks County, Amazon has tried to keep a low profile, but that’s hard to do when you’re one of the biggest companies on the plant.
Municipal officials have celebrated Amazon’s expansion into the area and the fact it brings tax revenue and new jobs.
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