By a 5-2 vote this week, the Oklahoma City Council approved a move to negotiate $1 million in incentives to online retailer Amazon for construction of a new warehouse and shipping terminal at the Will Rogers World Airport.
The $1 million will be public payments for 53 managerial jobs at the new warehouse and the city will contribute another $700,000 for road improvements at 9201 S Portland Avenue, site of the new facility. The city will widen Portland Avenue and also put in turn lanes at SW 89 Street.
Amazon’s new center will be 640,000 square feet in size and employ nearly 1,700 workers. Construction on the street improvements will start next month and take a year for completion.
The final vote and approval of the incentives will come at the City Council’s July meeting.
Mayor David Holt, Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone, Ward 5 councilman David Greenwell, and Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer voted for the project’s incentives.
Ward 1 Councilman James Greiner and Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid were against the plan.
Councilman Shadid maintained the agreement would end up harming local small businesses.
“They are hurting our local small businesses. they are hurting employment and we’re paying them to do it.”
