Excavation work is underway at the site of a new warehouse project in Bondurant. Photo by Michael Crumb

By next summer Amazon Inc. will have distribution operations in nearly 1 million square feet of warehouse space in Bondurant, and the retail giant’s presence in northeast Polk County is sparking interest from other developers.

Alex Lynch, executive director of the East Polk Innovation Collaborative, said there is interest to develop at least three speculative warehouses that would have a combined 2 million square feet of space. Since earlier this year, when Amazon announced it was opening a fulfillment center in Bondurant, the Polk collaborative has received dozens of inquiries, he said.

“It’s been the silver lining through COVID that there’s so much interest in this area,” Lynch said.

The interest by developers in northeast Polk County is likely to increase.

On Wednesday, Amazon confirmed it would open a sortation center in Bondurant, less than a mile west of the fulfillment center that is expected to open later this month.

Construction has begun on the 278,670-square-foot center located at 2300 Shiloh Rose Parkway S.W. The project, valued at about $55 million, is expected to be completed by mid-2021.

“We are excited to increase our investment in Bondurant with a sortation center to power our ability to provide customers with everyday delivery, including Sunday delivery, which customers love,” Kirsten Wenker, an Amazon spokesperson, wrote in an email to the Business Record. 

The sortation center is expected to employ 100 full-time workers and up to 400 people part time, depending on the time of year.

Lynch said cities in northeast Polk County – Bondurant, Altoona and Pleasant Hill – have worked hard in recent years to ensure undeveloped areas have access to sewers, water and streets.

“Making sure that infrastructure is in place has been a great help,” he said. “The tax base generated by these new developments will help our cities bring more services like restaurants and other businesses to [their communities].”

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