Amazon's ‘Operations Center of Excellence’ Project In Nashville Taking Shape
When Amazon announced its divided HQ2 plans, Nashville got a small slice of the prize with what the retail giant calls its “Center of Excellence for its Operations.” At the time of the announcement last month, details about the center were sparse, but now a picture is emerging.
According to plans submitted to the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, the facility will ultimately include two 20-story office towers just north of The Gulch. The first tower, totaling 566K SF, will be developed at 1001 Church St., followed by an adjacent structure of a similar size.
The first building will include 11 levels of parking, as well as a bike storage room and on-site day care, the Tennessean reports. There will be an amenity deck available to employees on the fifth floor that also functions as a green roof.
The towers will be part of the new Nashville Yards mixed-use development by San Diego-based Southwest Value Partners. That company is working in concert with Anschutz Entertainment Group to develop a music venue, a cinema, a hotel and other entertainment offerings on the 16-acre site.
The development of the center will also involve nearby infrastructure work. A road called Upper 10th Avenue North will be built over the existing 10th Avenue North to facilitate the movement of traffic through the area.
When completed (perhaps as soon as 2021), the center will be responsible for customer fulfillment, transportation and other functions for Amazon. It will employ 5,000 workers, with hiring starting next year. Until the center is complete, the new Amazon workers will be based at WeWork offices in Nashville, GeekWire reports.
