Amazon Distribution Facility Coming to Amelon Commerce Center in Amherst County
By: Emily Mook | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
Most of us have experienced the thrill of receiving Amazon packages on our doorsteps, and it is a two-pronged sort of thrill: we are of course excited about the items themselves, but we are also enamored with the ease of the process. Armed with our wallets, wishlists, and Wi-Fi, we simply browse, click, and wait—enjoying endless options at our fingertips without having to contend with traffic or register lines. If one doesn’t stop to consider the labor expended by many other people throughout the process, they may liken online shopping to a magic trick and wonder how something so elaborate could be so easy.
When the Economic Development Authority of Amherst County recently announced that Amazon purchased a 26-acre site in the Amelon Commerce Center for a 78,000-square-foot distribution facility, some may have been struck with a similar sense of awe. Landing a globally recognized and hugely successful company like Amazon could seem like an acute stroke of luck—but it was actually the result of extensive preparation.
Before selling the site to Amazon.com Services, LLC in late August 2025, the Amherst EDA graded the site to its maximum capacity in 2023 to accommodate a building up to 200,000 square feet in size. The Amherst EDA used a combination of local funds and funds secured from a Growth and Opportunity Virginia (GOVA) grant to pay for the project. A longstanding investment in the Amelon Commerce Center set the stage for this laborious and expensive undertaking.
“Amelon Commerce Center was a huge cost for the Amherst County Board of Supervisors to develop,” said Victoria Hanson, Executive Director of the Amherst EDA. “Economic development is a long-term process, and we as a locality have steadily invested in Amelon Commerce Center over time. Without having done that work in advance, we would not have received this project. Decades of investment led to Amazon choosing Amherst County.”
The foresight demonstrated by this long-term investment also typified the decision to fully grade the site to attract a big buyer.
“We know that it’s critical to have sites as prepared as possible for any prospect because of speed to market,” Hanson noted. “You want to make sure that there’s no risk associated with that brand because business hates risk. You can do a lot of different studies that will help throw out a lot of that risk, but the ultimate thing you need to do is grade the site.”
That decision clearly paid off when technology and retail giant Amazon purchased the site in a $16 million plus investment to build a last-mile distribution facility that will prepare and sort packages for final delivery to customers.
“Amazon is trying to get this distribution center built as quickly as possible,” remarked Hanson.
“With our site being graded, they knew that the timeline to closing would be quick; they actually had the entire project bid before we went to closing.
When we closed, they pulled the trigger on their contractor, and within a week, they were moving dirt.”
Although Amazon hasn’t shared an ETA for the project yet, construction is progressing quickly and Hanson believes that the facility could be up and running this year.
“When you go by the site, there are usually dozens of people working,” she said. “There’s a lot of construction equipment, and they’ve got walls going up and drainage pipes going in. They are moving to complete the construction process very quickly, and that’s a goal that works for us because everyone who gets Amazon packages is excited to think that we could get them a little faster than we do now! The weather has cooperated too; we haven’t had a lot of rain, so they’ve been able to get under the roof and start working on electrical components during the winter months.”
In addition to getting packages to homes throughout the region more quickly in its capacity as a last-mile distribution hub, the facility will enact significant economic growth in and around Amherst County.
“Amazon is building a 78,000-square-foot building, which translates to considerable real estate taxes,” stated Hanson. “Those real estate taxes are what we use as a county to pay our teachers, police officers, and public safety workers; educate our children; and cover all the other needs that a government has when it comes to serving its community. We are expecting $16 to $20 million in new capital investment, and dozens of new jobs will be created. Amazon has not yet specifically said how many jobs will be created, but there will be part-time and full-time job openings. Jobs are always critically important to quality of life, so that’s another win for us. Additionally, the drivers coming through the area will stop here to get gas and food and to do some shopping, so there will be secondary impacts trickling through our local economy as well.”
Hanson is particularly pleased that the project highlights Amherst County’s transportation network.
“We’ve always said that we have a great transportation network, and Amelon Commerce Center is a great example: it is two miles from the U.S. 29 bypass, which is an interstate-quality, four-lane divided highway,” she noted. “From there, you can go two more miles to go north or south on 29, and a few miles later, you have the option to go east or west on [Route] 460. It is in a prime logistical location to allow delivery trucks to get to a lot of different places quickly. Clogs have developed in different areas in the region, but luckily Amelon Commerce Center is located on a federal highway that is designed to move traffic quickly to the bypass.”
As we celebrate this landmark investment in Amherst County’s economy and look forward to potential tangible benefits like faster delivery times for Amazon packages, let’s keep in mind that the magic isn’t some effortless trick—it’s in the consistent collective efforts of a community.
“When you get chosen by an international company that is a common name in every household, it is a complete and total win!” exclaimed Hanson. “We are very excited, and we feel like this puts us on the map. Of course, this wasn’t just a stroke of luck—this was a hard-won victory.”
