Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

Amazon's new $90 million fulfillment center near Detroit is taking shape.

The project, announced in December, calls for at least 1,000 new jobs as the internet retail giant builds a 1 million square foot facility in Livonia for a regional fulfillment center about 10 miles west of Detroit.

"We're proud to welcome Amazon to Livonia and applaud the collaboration that took place to bring this significant capital investment and new, well-paying jobs to our community," Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said at the time.

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

This is one of the single biggest job creation deals announced in 2016.

Amazon plans to quadruple its employee base in Michigan when the center opens later this year.

Today, it employs about 250 in a Detroit tech office, at Brilliance Audio in Grand Haven - where employees record audio books, among other things - and at a 210,000-square-foot sortation center in Brownstown Township, southwest of Detroit.

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The fulfillment center is among the 29 new centers planned by the online retail company, which had 103 operating in the U.S. as of this month, according to MWPVL International, a supply chain consultant.

The centers contained items stored by Amazon sellers. "(W)e pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products," Amazon says on its website.

The model is remaking retail. Amazon sales increased 23 percent in the first quarter of 2017, climbing to $35.7 billion.

According to MWPVL, the Livonia site will contain "small sortable" items.

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The building is 1,009,000 square feet at the corner of Amrhein and Eckles roads in Livonia. The size puts it near the top of Amazon fulfillment centers, which go up to 1.2 million square feet. Several are around 1 million square feet, while most are smaller.

It's located in an industrial area near I-275, I-96 and M-14. The property's address will be 39000 Amrhein.

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From Amazon.com/Photographer: Eric Slomanson

The project appears to be on track to open in October.

That's when Amazon initially said it would be completed. Company officials didn't confirm timing for this report.

However, Livonia Mayor Dennis Wright said he believes that timeframe will be met.

"It seems like everything is a go," he said, noting that crews have been working at night and weekends to get it ready for the next phases of work.

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Amazon is hiring the manager for the distribution center.

The recruiting ad says its looking for manufacturing plant managers from across the U.S., with full relocation provided.

More description: "Your background as a plant manager will give you the ability to balance strategy and execution in our complex, automated environment. You will be responsible for all aspects of the operations including people management and development, process, and meeting or exceeding the expectations and promise made to our customers. You will lead a dynamic team of Operations and Area Managers to achieve operational excellence through coaching and mentoring the team; driving employee engagement, and building leadership bench strength within the operation network.

"As a senior leader you may oversee upwards of 1,000+ salaried and hourly employees, in our fast-paced facilities that can exceed a million square feet. You will serve as the face of the organization to thousands of employees and the community where the center is located. This position offers unlimited career potential as we continue to grow our global footprint."

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Hiring started this spring for other targeted positions.

Nine other jobs are listed for the Livonia operation as of late May on the Amazon hiring site.

They include: IT support engineer, 3 senior staffing coordinators, a staffing specialist, a loss prevention manager, a site safety manager and an area manager for military veterans.

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The official Amazon jobs site doesn't list any hourly distribution positions for the Livonia center, and only had one seasonal position listed for Brownstown Township.

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Here's what Amazon said this week about hiring:

"(We) are hiring for more than 1,000 full-time positions for employees who will pick, pack and ship customer orders as well as operations management, human resources, IT, facilities management, finance and more. Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages and comprehensive benefits, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards starting on day one, as well as generous maternity and parental leave benefits."

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Amazon will get up to $7.5 million from the state.

The Michigan Strategic Fund awarded Amazon the ability to qualify for that amount in three stages, if it adds 1,000 employees by Dec. 31, 2020.

The first deadline is Dec. 31, 2018. If it's hired 350 new employees by then, it will get a $2.625 million performance grant.

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The reason: It considered other states.

That's standard reasoning for state performance grants through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. In this case, Amazon told state officials that it was considering Ohio and Indiana for the distribution center.

From state documents: "The Company was searching for a location that would be within a 350 mile radius of Midwestern customers, putting Indiana and Ohio well within those search parameters"

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

Amazon estimates the center represents a $90 million investment.

The shell of the building is valued at $35 million, according to city assessment records.

A permit issued in mid-May calls for $1.2 million of interior alterations, including storage racking, interior conveyors, offices and restrooms.

Eventually, the road also will get improvements to handle the increased truck traffic. The city of Livonia is contributing $337,500 toward that work.

Oliver Hatcher Construction of Novi is doing the work.

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

The fulfillment center is rising on former General Motors Corp. property.

Amazon is using 48.8 acres of a 116-acre property sold in 2015 by RACER Trust. The former GM Delco Chassis plant had ceased operations years before GM's bankruptcy, and the buildings were demolished. RACER acquired it as part of the portfolio of former GM properties to be sold.

Ashley Capital bought the property, and now operates it as Livonia West Commerce Center.

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

RACER signs are still on fencing there.

But another portion of the site has been sold. Republic National Distributing Co. will move its spirits and wine wholesaling business to a building it will construct on Eccles, adjacent to the Amazon parcel. That move will bring up to 500 jobs to Livonia. RNDC paid $3.28 million for the land, according to city records.

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

This fulfillment center is a big deal for Livonia.

"We’re excited to be a part of the Livonia community," an Amazon spokesman said in an email.

Livonia feels it, too.

Wright said he regularly takes city employees to the property in small groups so they can see the progress. "I want them to feel the excitement like everyone one else," he said.

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"This is a big deal for the future of the city for next 25 and 30 years," Wright said.

Other areas of the city are seeing new development, which includes three new hotels along I-96. But it's also a mature western suburb of Detroit, where redevelopment happens just as frequently. One example is the newer retail center on the former Wonderland Mall property.

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Speaking of big:

Amazon's stock is selling at $993.38 per share as of May 25. And its value, based on outstanding stock shares, is $474.8 billion.

The Seattle-based company has more than 340,000 global employees.

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