Business & Tech

Amazon Drops Plans For $300 Million Pittsburgh Fulfillment Center

Three months after the controversial project was approved by Churchill council, Amazon has scuttled plans to build the fulfillment center.

(Scott Anderson/Patch)

CHURCHILL, PA — Amazon has abruptly dropped plans to build a controversial fulfillment and sorting center on the site of the former Westinghouse Research & Technology Park visible from the Parkway East. After months of contentious debate and hearings, Churchill council approved the project in December.

The $300 million facility would have been more than four stories tall and had nearly 3 million square feet of space. By comparison, the nearby Monroeville Mall has approximately 1.4 million square feet of retail space.

“We weigh a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve our customers," Amazon said in a statement. It is common for us to explore multiple locations simultaneously and adjust based on our operational needs. While we have decided not to pursue the site in Churchill, we are still committed to being a good neighbor, corporate citizen and community partner."

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The project had drawn considerable community opposition, and the Churchill Future group had begun a fundraising effort to mount a legal challenge. Residents had raised numerous concerns about the center, including noise and light pollution and traffic congestion.

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