The online retailer announced it’s building two distribution centers in central Ohio: one in Obetz and another in Etna Township.
They're starting to build the foundation for the Amazon building in Etna Township and building a foundation for the area's future.
“If you can imagine approximately 20 acres under roof,” Township Trustee President John Carlisle said.
It's a huge project and fueling development that had already sparked nearby.
While Amazon is hush-hush about exact job numbers, the township is already computing the gains.
“It could be anywhere between $180,000 and $200,000 annually to Etna Township specifically,” Carlisle said.
How does that help residents?
“Etna township is the lowest in property taxes in Central Ohio,” Carlisle said. “This is going to be huge for the residents here; it takes the tax burden off of them.”
And will likely spur something else they've been asking for.
“I said ‘well you've been wanting restaurants, they're now going to be here,’” Carlisle said.
There are just a few. Dan Robey is doing some rehab on his bar/restaurant. It’s in anticipation of new business.
“We know there's going to be a lot of people coming into the area, they're going to need a place to drink, they're going to need a place to watch sports,” Robey said.
Robey sees this as the start of a movement.
“I've lived out here my whole life, I've been out here 40 years and there's farmland that we've never seen for sale before that's sprouting up for sale now,” Robey said. “We know as the people come out, it's going to grow, they're going to be putting in strip malls, stuff like that.”
The township has been told this center will be completed and up and running by the 2016 holiday season.
Obetz’s village administrator said they haven’t been told exactly how many jobs their Amazon site will create so the village isn’t estimating at all on what it means for the community.