GARNER – A big Amazon project may soon be coming to the Triangle – but it is apparently a large distribution center, not the highly anticipated Amazon HQ2 project for which the region is one of 20 acknowledged finalists.

The Town of Garner’s planning commission voted 4-1 last week to approve “Project Axis,” a 680,000 square foot building and 2.6 million square feet of development on nearly 88 acres once occupied by a ConAgra plant that was destroyed in an explosion nearly a decade ago. The Town Council and the mayor then approved the project unanimously, said Joseph Stallings, the town’s economic development director.

Pushing Axis is Texas-based developer Hillwood, which has been branded as the “Amazon developer” by Virginia Business magazine after Hillwood built an Amazon distribution center in that state. It’s typical for economic development projects that are often negotiated in secret to be given code names.

Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity have told WRAL News for several months that Amazon had its eyes on the Garner location.

What company Hillwood is building the project for has not disclosed, and Stallings said he couldn’t comment. Hillwood, which was founded by Ross Perot, Jr., launched in 1988.

Citing non-disclosure agreements, Stallings also said he could not provide any information about how much money will be invested in the project, whether any tax incentives were offered, and what the timeline is for construction. “The details are still being worked on,” Stallings said.
According to the planning document, the building would stand four stories tall. The project also would include a 30-foot water tower.
Town of Garner document

Project Axis site in Garner from the Axis planning document.

As to what the project might mean to Garner from an economic standpoint, Stallings pointed out: “For the past 11 years we have looked at a whole slew of projects, I really can’t speculate [about the impact of the project] until we have confirmation and an announcement is made.”

Based on traffic data included in the document about Axis, the site is likely to employ more than 2,000 people. Some 1,130 arrivals are expected for a morning shift and 1,097 for an evening shift. Stallings would not talk about how many jobs the project might create.

“After sufficient review and plan revisions, staff finds this project, as now proposed, to be in conformance with the regulations of the Unified Development Ordinance,” the planning commission document about the project says.

“The Planning Commission confirmed staff’s findings that the plan was in conformity with adopted town plans and policies, and recommended approval with a 4:1 vote as long as the standard conditions and site specific conditions of approval are met.”

Town of Garner document

Project Axis site plan from Town of Garner document

In the 37-page Axis document, the complex is labeled as an “employment center” and no rezoning is required. Requested uses include storage, warehousing and freight movement. The main building will include office space and loading docks, the document says.

The original proposal from Hillwood was introduced on June 18 for the property at 4851 Jones Sausage Road.

Amazon already maintains one distribution center in Durham.

The ecommerce giant also recently agreed to build a distribution center in Charlotte near the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Charlotte approved a tax incentive package for the center that is expected to add 1,500 jobs. The City Council voted last month for $13 million in incentives for the distribution center expected to open next year. It will be the fourth such center in the Charlotte metro area.

According to The Charlotte Observer, more incentives from Mecklenburg County and the State of North Carolina are coming.

If Project Axis is to be built for Amazon, construction could be quick. The Virginia distribution center, for example, was approved in the spring of 2017 and opened in February of this year.