Area Development
Amazon.com, Inc. will open a 1-million square foot, $90-million, warehouse facility in Middletown, Delaware, creating more than 850 full-time jobs in the community.

"We welcome Amazon's expansion in Delaware, which will mean a significant number of jobs for many skilled and talented Delawareans who want to get to work," said Governor Jack Markell. "The company's expansion is a credit to the hard work taking place throughout the state to attract top-notch employers."

The Middletown facility will be Amazon's second large warehouse in Delaware. Amazon opened its first facility, called a "fulfillment center" in New Castle in 1997. The company currently employs hundreds of full-time workers at that 200,000 square-foot warehouse.

"We look forward to opening our second facility in Delaware this year, creating more than 850 new jobs in the state," said Dave Clark, vice president, global customer fulfillment. "We're grateful to state, county and local leaders who have committed to Amazon jobs and investment."

In December, the Delaware Economic Development Office awarded the company $3.47 million from the Delaware Strategic Fund to support the expansion; $2.12 million will help create new jobs at the Middletown site. The fund will also contribute to the company's infrastructure investment, equal to 3 percent of the total capital expenditures, or a maximum of $1.35 million.

A separate grant for up to $4 million from the Delaware New Jobs Infrastructure Fund will be used to build extensions of public roads to serve the project, improve traffic flow and provide access to additional properties for future economic development.

Amazon will also receive a real estate tax abatement from the town of Middletown for the next 10 years.