Amazon is coming to the Staten Island. Just off the West Shore Expressway, construction crews are busy at the Global Logistics Park, making way for what will be a $100 million and 855,000 square-foot warehouse.
For many who live in the area, it’s a welcome addition.
"It's obvious that Amazon is the future," said Lou Corradi of Prince’s Bay.
"I think it's fantastic because it will make more jobs for everybody. Everybody here [is] struggling to survive,” said Lisette Serrano.
The project is expected to create 2,250 full-time jobs.
Humans will work alongside robots to fill amazon orders.
"This is the biggest jobs bonanza in a very long time perhaps in the history of Staten Island,” said Staten Island Borough President, James Oddo.
Oddo said Amazon will take up one of four buildings planned for the site, developed by Matrix.
He expects even more jobs to come to the West Shore. His office has dubbed it the "Jobs Coast."
"The fact that the “Jobs Coast” gets more real by the day is an important message to send to the rest of the world: Staten Island literally is open for business,” he said.
The state lured Amazon by offering $18 million in performance-based tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program.
The deal puts to rest plenty of controversy that once surrounded the site.
NASCAR proposed building a racetrack on the property, but backed out in 2006 due to community opposition.
"That fleeting nightmare is long since dead,” Oddo said. “What will rise, and what is literally rising at the Matrix site, are thousands of jobs. Staten Island will be better for it than they would have been."
Residents said they can't wait to apply for one of the new jobs.
Amazon said it offers competitive pay and benefits to its full time employees on day one- including 20 weeks of paid leave.
“Then I'm definitely going to apply,” Serrano said.
A spokesperson for Amazon says the company expects construction to move quickly. The fulfillment center is slated to open next fall