Warehouse structures can be seen being constructed at the Pinnacle Aeropark property on Nov. 12, 2020. (Photos by Scott Bolthouse — The Huron Hub)

Posted by Scott Bolthouse
The Huron Hub
Jan. 12, 2021

Amazon officially announced their footprint in Huron Township on Monday, dubbing the area off Vining Road “Pinnacle Park.”

The massive warehouses on Vining Road where the defunct Pinnacle Race Course once stood will be fulfillment and sorting warehouses for Amazon, according to the company worth over $1 trillion.

“Huron Township welcomes the creation of approximately 1,000 jobs the Amazon facilities offer. This Amazon project will serve to jump-start additional economic growth that will make up a much larger comprehensive mixed use development planned for this area,” said David Glaab, Huron Township supervisor. “This investment will serve to bolster and compliment the efforts of the Detroit Region Aerotropolis in its mission to attract advanced manufacturing, next generation mobility and emerging technologies to this region.”

Amazon says 1,000 jobs will be available soon at the Huron Township locations.

“With this deal, we are able to appropriately redevelop the Pinnacle property – adding roughly 1,000 new jobs for local residents while expanding our tax base at the same time,” said Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. “When I took office, I made it a priority to repurpose the land in a more productive way that made sense for the location. Working in collaboration with Huron Township leaders and Detroit Aerotropolis, my team identified a new approach for the site that was both economically viable and consistent with the community’s vision. I’m pleased that Amazon agrees that Pinnacle is a prime location for a world-class logistics and distribution facility that will put Wayne County residents to work.”

Photos: From race course to warehouses: Photos of current construction at Pinnacle Aeropark site

In addition, Amazon has announced other key developments in the Metro Detroit area.

In 2021, Amazon’s new fulfillment and sortation centers in Detroit include:

• Detroit – Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center.
• Hazel Park – Sub-Same-Day Fulfillment Center.
• Pinnacle Park – Amazon “XLFC” Fulfillment Center.
• Pinnacle Park – Amazon Sort Center.
• Plymouth – Amazon Sort Center.
• Pontiac – Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center.

At one of the five new sites, Amazon plans to open a new 823,000 square-foot fulfillment center, creating 1,200 new full-time jobs when it launches in 2021.

The site will be the fourth fulfillment center in the state using Amazon robotics to help associates pick, pack and ship smaller items to customers.

The other four sites include a same-day facility, XL fulfillment center and two sortation centers that play critical roles in the fulfillment of large products and “middle mile,” or the process of transporting packages between Amazon sites before last mile delivery for customers.

Packages are shipped to sort centers from Amazon Air hubs, gateways and fulfillment centers to be sorted by zip code before being transported to delivery stations or last-mile delivery partners for customer delivery

“We’re excited to be expanding our network to better serve our customers in the great city of Detroit,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment. “We are grateful for the strong support we’ve received from local and state leaders as we broaden our footprint throughout Michigan. We look forward to bringing more than 2,000 good jobs to Metro Detroit and contributing positively to the community.”

Amazon currently operates 10 sites in Detroit that support customer fulfillment and delivery operations, including four facilities that launched in 2020.

Amazon says it offers a $15 per hour wage, and that the company offers full-time employees comprehensive benefits including full medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as a 401(k) with 50 percent match starting on day one.

The company said it also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and innovative benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents flexibility to support their growing families.

AMAZON IN MICHIGAN

• Since 2010, Amazon says it has created more than 13,500 jobs in Michigan and invested more than $2.5 billion across the state, including infrastructure and compensation to its employees.
• Amazon’s says its investments have contributed more than $2.1 billion in GDP to the Michigan economy and have helped create over 10,000 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires – from jobs in construction and logistics to professional services.
• More than 42,000 independent authors and small and medium businesses in Michigan are selling to customers in Amazon’s store, creating thousands of additional jobs across the state.

To view The Huron Hub’s complete coverage of the Pinnacle property, including the defunct race track through the recently announced proposed development, please visit this archive on HuronHub.com.