Amazon could be coming to Waterbury and Naugatuck. Officials say it would bring in up to 1,000 permanent jobs.
It’s still in the early stages, and on Wednesday night, residents got a chance to get a look at the proposal, give feedback and ask questions.
At Wednesday’s public information meeting in Waterbury, many who attended had good things to say about a proposed development.
Amazon is looking to make the more than 160-acre property near the Naugatuck Industrial Park the latest fulfillment center in the state. The site lands in Waterbury and Naugatuck.
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Both the city and town have held public sessions where the developer, Bluewater Property Group, walked residents through the early stages of the proposal.
“We really want to make sure we maintain the quality of life for our residents of the south end of Waterbury to the best of our ability with a project this size,” said Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary.
Officials said the facility could bring in up to 1,000 permanent jobs, hundreds of construction jobs, have a positive impact to surrounding businesses and offer high school graduates who don’t want to go to college a career path.
At the meeting, people also voiced concerns and asked questions including about traffic, air quality and the power grid.
When it comes to electricity, the mayor said they’re working closely with Eversource and that there will be traffic, air quality, noise and light pollution studies.
“There’s a pretty good buffer zone all the way around this project, but still those are things that are important,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary said a planning and zoning meeting next month will discuss a proposed zoning change, but that’s just the first step in a very long process. If approved, that does not mean the project is approved.
