Years after it was expected to be operational, it appears work will begin soon to finish and open the $40 million Amazon facility in Slidell.
But don’t look for company officials to provide a possible opening date yet.
The online retail giant has pulled two city permits: for interior work at the huge building, and to erect signage on it, acting Slidell Mayor Bill Borchert said.
An Amazon spokesperson, Steve Kelly, said this week that the Slidell facility remains in the company’s long-term plans, even though its opening has been delayed.
Kelly said the company does not have an anticipated opening date that it can provide. He has said in previous interviews that hiring won’t begin until the center is 30 to 60 days from being operational.
“Work is ongoing in preparation for the facility to come online,” Kelly said in an email. “That work is currently concentrated on building out our internal construction — including racking and conveyance.”
“As construction progresses, we should have a better idea of a launch timeline,” he added in the email.
The exterior of the 140,000-square-foot facility on Town Center Parkway near Old Spanish Trail has been complete for several years. But the company has said it still must be outfitted with racks, conveyors and other equipment.
Amazon announced the Slidell center in 2021, with an initial opening date targeted for 2022. The opening has been pushed back several times, and Kelly declined to even offer a ballpark timeframe.
Officials in St. Tammany have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the center, which they have said will bring 250-400 jobs.
While dates remain hazy for Slidell, Amazon has been busy in Louisiana.
Last June, Amazon opened a $200 million, 3.4-million-square-foot facility in Baton Rouge at the former Cortana Mall. More than 1,000 people could eventually work at that site, the company said.
Another Amazon facility, in Shreveport, opened last October and employs more than 1,300 people.
The facilities in Baton Rouge and Shreveport are the company’s large “fulfillment centers.” The center in Slidell will be somewhat smaller and is often referred to a “last-stop center” because it the final stopping point for packages before they are delivered to customers.