Amazon to open delivery center at former Haldex site

The City of Blue Springs recently announced Amazon plans to open a delivery center in Blue Springs. The delivery center would be located at 2400 NE Coronado Drive, in the former Haldex facility.
     “We are thrilled to announce that Amazon is coming to Blue Springs,” said Blue Springs Mayor Carson Ross. “This facility will not only bring jobs to Blue Springs but it also fills a vacant industrial building in our community. We are proud to see companies like Amazon investing in our community and creating more opportunities for our residents.”
     The existing facility is approximately 70,000 square-feet and is currently being remodeled to accommodate Amazon’s process of receiving and sorting product for final delivery to customers.
    A 30,000 square-foot overhead canopy will be constructed to the rear of the building for loading. An additional 357 parking spaces will also be added to the rear and side of the building for van parking.
     “We look forward to becoming part of the fabric of the Blue Springs community and are thrilled to be able to expand our operations in Missouri,” said Nikki Wheeler at Amazon. “Amazon is a great place to work and grow professionally. We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from local and state leaders and look forward to creating new, full-time jobs for the local community.”
     With its location just outside Grain Valley city limits, traffic impacts on nearby residential areas and wear on Grain Valley roads are a concern.
     Reached for comment on the development and projected traffic impacts, Grain Valley Community Development Director Mark Trosen stated the City “did not have any conversations with Blue Springs or have we been a part of any discussions/planning of the Amazon facility.”
     Grain Valley Mayor Chuck Johnston commented on the development at the April 12th Board of Aldermen meeting.
     “There’s already a lot of people with concerns about traffic. I addressed that with Mr. Murphy (City Administrator Ken Murphy) tonight, and we are going to try to make contact with Amazon to see what we can get them to do, because I’m real concerned (about delivery trucks on R.D. Mize).”
     Valley News reached out to the City of Blue Springs for details on projected traffic impacts. Per a study done for project, the following is expected at the site:
34 AM peak hour trips (one truck, 33 passenger) and 36 PM peak hour trips(two trucks, 34 passenger) are projected;
157 total vehicles are projected for the Weekday Average Daily Traffic (46 trucks, 111 passenger);
Line haul truck deliveries are anticipated daily, primarily between the hours of 10:00pm and 8:00am.
 
Trip distribution is anticipated as follows:
35% to/from the west along I-70;
5% to/from the east along I-70;
10% to/from north along Adams Dairy Parkway;
35% to/from south along Adams Dairy Parkway;
5% to/from west along Coronado;
10% to/from east along Coronado.
     The facility will operate 24/7 to support delivery of packages to customer locations between 11:00am and 9:00pm.
     Amazon plans to be fully operational by the end of 2021. The company expects to start hiring about two months before the facility opens. Those interested in jobs should visit https://buff.ly/2PIwliY.