Why did Amazon choose us?

As mega-corporation Amazon builds its 600,000 square foot Fulfillment Center on the north side of Geiger Boulevard, many West Plains and Spokane County residents are asking: Why here? Why us?

The tech giant has the resources to build anywhere in the world, so what was it that caused them to purchase nearly 80 acres southwest of the Spokane International Airport for what will be the largest single-site employer in the county since Kaiser Aluminum in 1946? What exactly is the draw of Spokane County?

The West Plains Chamber of Commerce hosted a breakfast Sept. 19 addressing just that question, which included a presentation by the West Plains/Airport Area Public Development Authority's (PDA) new executive director Todd Coleman.

Amazon's arrival marks the first resounding success for the PDA, which was created to facilitate just these types of deals. The PDA was formed in 2017 and oversees 9,251 acres of land around the airport, including in Airway Heights and unincorporated county.

"What did we do right? We had grading done by the time the permitting process closed and had certainty around the timing thanks to shovel-ready land," Coleman said.

In his presentation to members, Coleman said a good portion of the county's success in securing the Amazon job was due to the "three R's: runway, roadway and rail."

The three R's refer to the area's convenient location near a large airport with direct flights, multiple major highways and access to a Class 1 rail line.

Other benefits to constructing their facility in this area included the lack of state income tax and access to universities where workers with higher education might be found. Eastern Washington University's successful robotics program will almost certainly come into play as Amazon plans to spend more than $100 million on robotics alone for this particular project.

"They needed a facility on this side of the Cascades. One of the top criteria was adequate access to employees," Spokane County Commissioner Al French said. "We are the largest community in Eastern Washington with half a million people."

French serves on the Authority's board of directors, along with Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, County Executive Gerry Gemmill, Spokane International Airport CEO Larry Krauter and other community members.

Even though Spokane is the most densely populated area in the region, there was no guarantee that the facility would be constructed here, French said.

"They could have been in Moses Lake, Tri-Cities, Coeur d'Alene. There were a number of times where this deal could have left, or could have gone to another community," French said.

The county has been building up to this for years, entering a revenue-sharing agreement with the city of Spokane about six years ago that cut down on the competition between the two entities.

The regional collaboration and having all invested parties at the table together undoubtedly helped secure the Amazon facility, Coleman said.

"For so long, the city and the county had operated as competition," French said. "The PDA is the vehicle, but the revenue sharing agreement is the gas that makes it go."

City and county officials pushed hard to streamline the permitting process to make the development happen more quickly, making it possible to obtain a permit for large developments within two to four months.

In June, French got a call from a senior Amazon vice president who said the business has never gone into a location where the community pushed their timeline so successfully.

"Six months from start to construction is an incredible timetable," French said. "To do the same project on the I-5 corridor would take 1-2 years to do, due to the regulatory climate."

Several other smaller factors also contributed to the attraction of Spokane County for Amazon officials, including its recent investments in transportation and infrastructure projects. The West Plains and Spokane County in general are also known as "an aerospace cluster," with many local businesses catering to that industry. Plus, Amazon has traditionally sought to locate new developments in rural areas adjacent to urban cores.

"Being directly in an urban core is not something that has been attractive to them to this point," French said.

Amazon is on track to complete construction on the Fulfillment Center by October 2019. It's rapid progress for a project that remained shrouded in mystery for months, even being referred to by the code name "Project Rose."

And while Amazon might be the largest business moving into the area, it certainly isn't the only one. French says four other large businesses are "imminently involved" with the PDA, with still more to come.

Three hotel chains are planning on building locations in the area, plus the organization is hoping for a deal with Boeing in the future, Coleman said. West Plains residents and school districts are eager to hear what new businesses might be coming to the area and are speculating what that might do to local growth, real estate and enrollment trends.

"We're starting to hear our name pop up where it hasn't before," Coleman said.

The PDA's future initiatives include working to address issues like stormwater and wetlands, as well as thinking about infrastructure, land use, available buildings and workforce housing.

There's about 156 acres of wetlands under PDA purview, and dealing with wetland issues can result in a 12-24 month permitting process, which is not attractive to builders. Coleman said the PDA is considering creating a wetland mitigation bank to relocate small, sparse wetlands and free up more areas for development.

According to French, it's not just one or two qualities that made Amazon choose this area to settle down, but rather about several entities working together to make the process as simple and easy as possible.

"It doesn't matter whether its Amazon or Caterpillar or a mom and pop business," French said. "It's about having the structures in place to make those deals happen."

Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].