SPANISH FORT – Amazon has decided to build its distribution center at a site other than Spanish Fort, city officials announced Monday.
The announcement came hours before the Spanish Fort Planning Commission had been scheduled to vote on a request to rezone the site where the facility had been planned.
Mayor Mike McMillan issued a statement Monday that the company had changed its plans.
"As you know, Amazon was considering the construction of a distribution facility at the Spanish Fort Town Center," McMillan said. "It has come to our attention that, after its due diligence review, Amazon has made a decision to look at alternate sites. We were thankful for the opportunity to work with Amazon and Cypress Equities in this matter. The Spanish Fort Town Center is an asset to the city of Spanish Fort, and we look forward to its continued development."
Amazon and city officials had been discussing plans for the company to build a distribution center on Bass Pro Drive. The center would be a location where trucks would be loaded and sent out to deliver Amazon items to homes and businesses in the area.
The center had been expected to employ about 115 people.
On Monday, March 1, the City Council had voted to change Spanish Fort's B-4 zoning designation to allow warehouse facilities. The change had been intended to accommodate the proposed Amazon center.
Before the change, those uses were only allowed on property zoned for manufacturing.
The distribution center is planned on a parcel of about two acres near the end of Bass Pro Drive. The center will be a last point delivery system where items shipped from Amazon sites will be loaded into trucks for delivery to homes and businesses, McMillan said at an earlier meeting.
