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The news: At a rally in Seattle on Saturday, community organizers demanded Amazon report plans to build a distribution center at a site in the Rainier Valley area south of the city.
Why is it important? Amazon builds most of its warehouses in communities with relatively high numbers of neighborhoods of color and lower-income residents than the average for a given city, according to a Consumer Reports analysis last year. Rainier Valley is “one of the most culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods in the region, and it’s also one of the neighborhoods facing the highest displacement pressures,” the city of Seattle said.
The warning: Reporters have seen permit documents indicating Amazon’s interest in the Rainier Valley site in April 2021. GeekWire reached out to Amazon earlier this week after the organizers held a press conference ahead of the parade. Seattle-headquartered Amazon responded and said it was “not monitoring any sites in the Rainier Valley.” However, about 50 people attended the rally as scheduled. “I want them to take the license,” coordinator Travonna Thompson–Wiley said at the rally.
Voices of protest: Speakers at the rally pointed to traffic, safety, pollution and other concerns at the site near the Mount Baker light rail station. Lauren Holloway, a teacher at nearby Franklin High School, expressed concern that students would be hired to work at the warehouse. “They’re out of their price range, and they don’t need more low-paying Amazon warehouse jobs that further divide their time and talent,” he said. Others have previously said that 4,000 apartments could be built on the site.
More context: Permit documents filed with the city in April 2021 outline a proposal for two warehouses, currently owned by a Lowe’s store and a former Pepsi facility owned by Prologis, in partnership with Amazon.
A spokeswoman for the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections said it was the first application that had never been filed and filed.
A Prologis spokesperson did not provide further details or updates about the site, which is listed on the Prologis website as “available now” and “an ideal location for any logistics facility.”
“We do not track any sites in the Rainier Valley,” Amazon spokeswoman Alyssa Carroll said in a statement. “We weigh a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve our customers. We scan multiple locations simultaneously and make adjustments based on our operational needs.”
Amazon warehouse footprint: The logistics giant has expanded its distribution network in recent years with the aim of delivering customers’ orders faster. But Amazon recently said it added warehouse space as quickly as possible to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic, which led to $2 billion in additional costs in the first quarter.
It should be noted that: Amazon is supporting a 155-unit development at the Mount Baker light rail station as part of a moderate-to-low-income housing fund.
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