Amazon Considering Big Distribution Facility In Queens

Rumors of Amazon's plans in New York City just keep swirling.

The e-tailer is said to be weighing leasing a former industrial site in Maspeth, Queens, where a distribution facility could be built, Crain’s New York Business reports.

The site at 55-15 Grand Ave. could feature more than 700K SF of warehouse space, per the publication. A partnership between RXR Realty and LBA Realty acquired the property for $72M last year.

The news comes a week after reports emerged that Amazon is considering leasing 1M SF of distribution space in Industry City and looking at the former Lord & Taylor building for office space.

A source told Crain’s Amazon is considering a ground-up warehouse in Brooklyn, alongside the lease.

Amazon told the publication nothing is confirmed for Queens and declined to say if the deal at Industry City is moving forward. As for the office lease at Lord & Taylor, both Amazon and WeWork — which now owns the building — declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported news of a possible deal.

The company was also reported to be close to a 100K SF lease at Brookfield’s Manhattan West complex, but Brookfield officials recently told Bisnow there is no truth to that rumor. Amazon already leases 360K SF at nearby 5 Manhattan West.

Amazon has 5,000 employees in the city, and opened its first fulfillment center on Staten Island in 2017. It had planned to build a second headquarters in Long Island City, but killed the deal in February, four months after a major public announcement was swiftly followed by public outcry.

Since that time, Amazon has not spoken publicly about future plans in the city, but the company has nonetheless been among the most active in the five boroughs.