HAVERHILL – Almost a year after the pandemic that crippled much of the business community and closed the Southwick clothing factory, e-commerce giant Amazon is set to boost the economy by bringing 150 jobs to the website.
Mayor James Fiorentini said Amazon will open a distribution center on the former Southwick property in Broadway Business Park on Route 97.
With the pandemic hurting many businesses, the change in use on the property includes an industry booming during the health crisis – shoppers ordering items online for home delivery instead of visiting stores.
Fiorentini expects Amazon to create 150 jobs on the 25 Computer Drive website. Most jobs are expected to be packers and drivers, moving Amazon parcels to their final destinations within a 45-mile radius of the new “Last Mile” center, the mayor’s office said. There is a similar Amazon distribution center in Logan Airport. The company is also opening a sales office in North Andover, just across the Haverhill Line.
Amazon’s “Last Mile” program is the final leg of a journey of a package that is shipped to a home. Drivers travel direct from Haverhill Center to homes in the area for deliveries.
“We are very happy that this spot is being used,” said Fiorentini of the property. “It has been used very well over the years: first as Lowe’s, then as a film production studio, and then as Southwick.” This is the newest iteration.
“We are excited to create 150 new jobs in our city, especially during a pandemic-triggered recession,” he said. “We are pleased that new jobs have brought economic vitality to this community.” It’s always a great thing. “
Fiorentini has been working to find a new firm for the former Southwick facility since parent company Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection last summer. In a final effort to keep the company going, more than 400 unionized textile workers turned to making personal protective equipment during the pandemic. The workers were eventually laid off and the property was sold to Eastern Real Estate at auction in August 2020.
Fiorentini said he would urge the Amazon distribution center to hire as many Haverhill residents as possible, adding that drivers are considered hourly, independent contractors. 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 delivery vehicles that will be registered and located in Haverhill, the mayor said.
Once Amazon opens the center, daily operations there are expected to begin after 9:30 a.m., allowing Amazon drivers to avoid the morning rush hour, Fiorentini said. Most delivery vehicles will likely be small Amazon-branded vans that residents are used to seeing around town, he said.
“I’m not concerned (about the traffic),” said Fiorentini. “We didn’t have a single complaint when Lowe’s (home improvement) or Southwick were there, and both had heavy traffic. I don’t expect any complaints. When Target and Lowe’s first opened (on the business park) 15 years ago we had a complaint about the Got lights in the parking lot but we reset them and I haven’t had a single complaint since then. “
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 for the factory and its 21 acres in August, 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. “
Fiorentini says the Amazon project has the blessing of the city’s building inspector Thomas Bridgewater and meets all of the zoning requirements needed to renovate the former Southwick factory. According to Fiorentini, no further permits or special permits from the City Ministry are required. A building permit was submitted to the city in early December. The cost of building the office space and distribution center was $ 4.5 million. A schedule for construction and opening has not yet been published.
Donnelly Industries of New Jersey is overseeing the construction of the project. On Friday, the property showed no signs of Amazon. The property was cordoned off with chain link fences and there were numerous signs with the words “No entering” visible. No workers were seen on the multi-trailer site in the former Southwick car park.
According to Fiorentini, the city’s attorney, William Cox, has filed a petition with the bankruptcy court on behalf of Haverhill for the return of $ 400,000 tax credits Southwick received in exchange for moving from Lawrence to Haverhill several years ago. The mayor said money has been set aside but needs to be tried.
“It is unclear whether we will get any money,” he said, “but we will make every effort we can.”