HAVERHILL – Amazon is coming to Haverhill planning to open a 142,000 square foot distribution center as part of the e-commerce giant’s “Last Mile” fulfillment program, Mayor James Fiorentini announced on Friday in a joint statement with Eastern Real Estate owns the property .
Fiorentini anticipates 150 jobs on the site that was previously occupied by the Southwick clothing company on 25 Computer Drive in Broadway Business Park on Route 97.
Most jobs are expected to be packers and drivers, transporting Amazon parcels to their final destinations within a 45-mile radius of the new facility, a mayor’s office said in a statement. Outside Haverhill, there is a last mile Amazon location at Logan Airport, according to the mayor’s office. Amazon is also opening a distribution facility in nearby North Andover on Osgood Street.
Amazon’s “Last Mile” program is the final stage in a package’s journey to a home. Drivers travel direct from Haverhill Center to homes in the area for deliveries.
“We could have had an empty factory building and all these lost jobs, who knows how long,” said Fiorentini on Friday. “We did everything we could to keep Southwick first and then find a replacement to keep making Brooks Brothers suits. When it didn’t work out, we started working with Eastern Real Estate. We’re very excited to announce that Amazon is coming here with at least 150 well-paying jobs. “
The mayor has been working to find a new company for the former Southwick clothing factory since parent company Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy last summer. More than 400 unionized textile workers made personal protective equipment to help keep the company running during the pandemic before they were finally laid off and the company was sold at auction to Eastern Real Estate in August 2020.
Fiorentini said he would press for Amazon to hire as many Haverhill residents as possible. In addition to providing jobs, the city will benefit from increased property tax payments and new excise tax payments on an estimated two dozen Amazon vans registered in Haverhill and stationed at the Computer Drive site, the mayor said.
Once Amazon opens the center, the on-site operations are expected to begin after 9:30 a.m. every day to help Amazon drivers avoid the morning rush hour, the mayor said.
Amazon will lease the property from Eastern Real Estate. A lease is due to be signed shortly, Fiorentini said.
Dan Doherty of Eastern Real Estate, the company that paid $ 14 million last August for the factory and 21 acres on 25 Computer Drive, looks forward to helping the city’s economy.
“Interactions with the City of Haverhill and the Mayor’s Bureau of Economic Development and Planning have been extremely professional and constructive,” said Doherty. “They understand the needs of investors who will continue to support Haverhill’s future by improving the commercial real estate base and creating new jobs for the community. We have had the pleasure of working with many communities in the Commonwealth and across the country, and Haverhill is among the most effective in enabling smart growth and achieving the city’s constituency goals. “
A schedule for its construction and opening has not yet been released, despite the fact that building permits have been filed with the city, Fiorentini’s office said.
This is a developing story. Please visit eagletribune.com for more information as it becomes available. A full report will appear in the Sunday Eagle Tribune.