If one drove around Grand Island in the last few months, they may have noticed signs calling for Amazon not to set up shop on the island. Now those calls seem to be answered.
What You Need To Know
- Amazon will not be coming to Grand Island after all
- The town supervisor tells Spectrum News that developers TC Buffalo have pulled the application for “Project Olive”
- It comes just a day before town leaders were planning to hold a public hearing on the project
“It’s hard to comprehend how this type of development even got as far as it did,” said Cathy Rayhill, Coalition for Responsible Economic Development for Grand Island spokesperson.
On Wednesday, the Town of Grand Island posted on its Facebook page saying developers TC Buffalo withdrew the application for “Project Olive,” which would’ve brought a massive Amazon storage and distribution center to the island, along with 1,000 jobs — but from its inception the project had opposition.
“They range from traffic concerns to environmental impact to appropriate zoning or not and the property rights of residential folks here,” said Rayhill.
Last month, the Coalition for Responsible Economic Development for Grand Island formed out of opposition to the project.
Rayhill is skeptical about the decision considering the project was recently put on hold and Amazon tried to offer a $10 million incentive to the island in exchange for its approval.
“The last time this happened they put the project on hold, the next thing you know the county executive is doing a full court press. A lot of people are trying to pressure our town officials to approve this and we thought that was very inappropriate,” said Rayhill.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz released a statement saying his administration has worked hard over the past several years to bring Amazon to the county. He went on to say his team is prepared to work with Amazon to find another location for the regionally important project.
"My administration has worked hard over the past several years to bring Amazon to Erie County, but we were informed today that after further consideration Amazon has decided to halt their planned project on Grand Island. This is an unfortunate development as this project would have brought over 1,000 new jobs paying a living wage to our community and would have generated tens of millions of dollars more in taxes for the county, the Town, and the school district, but Amazon has decided that the fit is not right at the current time. Amazon has created jobs in Erie County and invested in our workforce at their two other local facilities, so while the Grand Island location is now off the table my team is prepared to work with them if necessary to identify another possible location for this regionally-important project or any other project. Our focus on economic development and job creation in Erie County remains as strong as ever, as evidenced by today’s topping-off event at the new TMP Technologies facility in Lackawanna.”
Amazon also released a statement, saying they’ve decided not to pursue a location in Erie County at this time but they will continue to explore opportunities to invest and grow across the region and state:
“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. We have dozens of fulfillment centers, sortation centers and delivery stations under construction and evolving around the world. It’s common for us to explore multiple locations simultaneously and adjust timetables based on needs across the network. We have decided not to pursue a location in Erie County at this time, although we continue to explore opportunities to invest and grow across the region and New York state. We appreciate the time and attention committed to this potential project by the Town of Grand Island, Erie County, Invest Buffalo-Niagara, and state officials throughout this preliminary process and introductory meetings.”
“We’d love to see responsible business come here that fits the character of our town,” said Rayhill.
Some residents supported the project, saying the jobs and additional tax base were needed. Some signs that read “Primed for Amazon” could be seen on some front lawns.
There was a public hearing on Project Olive set for Thursday night, but that has been canceled.
