There wasn’t much activity at a large parcel of land on South Halsted Street, hugging the Chicago River’s South Branch, when Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) took office three years ago.
Now, there’s tens of thousands of packages moving through Amazon’s newest delivery station in Bridgeport, where trucks take parcels as far south as Blue Island.
It’s “something to really celebrate,” Lee said Friday, during a ribbon cutting for the 165,000-square-foot facility at 2424 S. Halsted St.
“It’s wonderful to see that things have progressed to finally open this site,” Lee said. “I’m always pleased to be able to come and join a new business opening, and Amazon, being the brand that [it] is, being in our community, I think is a wonderful thing.”
The site is an Amazon Last Mile facility, meaning it’s the final stop in the delivery process before packages arrive at customers’ doors.
The facility has been operating in Bridgeport since July 30 and has about 130 employees. Amazon says more than 20 additional workers will start at the facility next week, bringing staffing to at least 150. The extra workers are coming just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Amazon will have a fleet of about 300 to 350 delivery vehicles, once its Rivian installation arrives. Trucks usually leave the facility around 10 a.m. to avoid rush hour and are back, deliveries complete, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“Our hope is that we’re not adding any congestion to the neighborhood streets,” Sarah Glavin, Amazon’s head of community affairs for Chicago, said. “We may be bothersome to you when you’re going for your late morning coffee, but we don’t want to bother you when you’re trying to get to work or get your kids to school.”
The facility is Amazon’s second in Bridgeport. It operates the delivery center at 3523 S. Ashland Ave., which sees about 80,000 packages on high-traffic days.
The Halsted facility managers expect about 51,000 packages to flow through the center next week, ahead of Prime Big Deal Days Oct. 7-8. The facility can accommodate up to 77,000 packages.
Joel Labruzzy, operations manager at Amazon, said the technology at the new facility sets it apart. New automation tools help sort packages faster and make operations safer for employees.
Labruzzy has worked for Amazon for about five years and enjoys the Bridgeport community.
“We do a lot of catering orders for associates and drivers, so it’s really great to try out some of these small businesses in the area,” Labruzzy said. “It’s just overall a great community. We’re happy to be here.”
Amazon was given city approval for the center in 2020, but it was met with opposition from community groups. Neighbors were concerned that delivery trucks would bring increased pollution and traffic, along with safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists.
Lee said Amazon has “proven to be nothing but great partners” and has listened to community feedback.
Amazon says it has partnered with Chicago workforce development organizations to help fill open positions.
“We had great participation in our community meetings, as well as with local nonprofits and support for lots of our events here in the community,” Lee said. “We can’t ask for anything more as elected officials.”
Matthew Palmisano, president of the Greater Bridgeport and South Loop Chamber of Commerce, said during the ribbon cutting that Amazon has helped support small businesses in the area. The two are partnering on a mural under the viaduct near 26th and Halsted streets.
“Amazon has continued to be supportive of all the small businesses, and we really look forward to the continued investment that they’re going to have with us as we go forward,” Palmisano said.