Already the biggest industrial building tenant in North Texas, Amazon is gobbling up another 1 million square feet of warehouse space in Forney east of Dallas.
The e-commerce giant will employ 500 people in its new fulfillment center in the Forney Gateway development on U.S. Highway 80.
Seefried Properties will build the new shipping hub.
“We’re excited to be expanding our network of operations in Forney,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the strong support we’ve received from local and state leaders as we broaden our footprint around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.”
Amazon now has more than 11 million square feet of warehouse space in the D-FW area.
The Seattle-based digital retail company had already leased a new 200,000-square-foot delivery station in Forney, which is set to open later this year.
The much larger second building will be completed in 2021 to handle larger merchandise, including furniture, outdoor equipment and rugs.
“Bringing a transcendent company such as Amazon to Forney is a huge step for our community,” Mayor Mary Penn said in a statement. “One of my biggest priorities has been to create more jobs and bring economic opportunity to our citizens.
“Now more than ever, this is a crucial time for economic growth, and I feel confident Amazon will bring that to the city of Forney.”
Amazon’s new shipping center is being built in Dallas-based Petro-Hunt’s 2,000-acre Gateway mixed-use development, which also includes homes and apartments. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. also has a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in the business park on U.S. 80 at Gateway Boulevard.
Since the start of 2020, with the increased home delivery needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon has been ramping up its distribution footprint in North Texas.
The firm has set up new shipping hubs in West Dallas, southern Dallas County, near DFW International Airport and in Far East Dallas.
Amazon is expected to have almost 14 million square feet of distribution space in the area by early next year.
