“The new facility will provide quality jobs and will make Prescott a shipping and logistics hub for the region.”
The 220,000-square-foot building is being built on the south side of the airport on Melville Road off of State Highway 89A.
The location, near Prescott Regional Airport, is considered ideal, with packages being flown in and out. Prescott Regional Airport is the 17th busiest airport in America and city officials say this will bring more air freight flights.
Mayor Phil Goode said FedEx’s decision to come to Prescott is a substantial validation of the quality commercial development around the airport – and he expects it will bring even more quality commercial development to this area by the airport.
The FedEx facility is expected to open during the last quarter of this year, with construction slated to be completed by Oct. 21
Mayor Goode credits Prescott’s substantial economic development team with touting the area and helping FedEx Ground Distribution know about the benefits of coming to Prescott. “As we continue to grow, we’ll be able to generate more passenger capability,” he said.
The land for the facility totals about 30 acres. Commercial developer Kiernan West LLC, acquired the property from the City of Prescott following a public bid process, and will develop the facility on behalf of FedEx Ground.
In 2021, the City of Prescott acquired a total of 115 acres of land, off Melville Road, as part of the development agreement with Arizona Eco Development, which was approved earlier this year.
Prescott City Manager Michael Lamar said in a news release that FedEx Ground will be the first and anchor tenant of this property. “We are pleased to have this opportunity to bring quality career jobs to the area,” he said.
Initial permits have been issued and construction is underway. FCL Builders is overseeing the construction.
FedEx officials say they will start with at least 80 well-paid hourly jobs with good benefits when it opens. As business expands, FedEx plans to have three shifts.
“We will see a lot of additional activity,” Mayor Goode said. “One of the things we hope to bring in is more high tech businesses. This will make the area more valuable to other businesses.”
Mayor Goode said the community will benefit from the FedEx Ground Distribution Facility through sales taxes on internet orders and from business orders. The amount of property tax coming into the city is less than 2% of its budget, so not much money will come into the city from the FedEx property tax, he said. However, he expects most of the funds benefiting the city from the distribution center will come from the transaction privilege tax, as more workers will be using area restaurants and other services in Prescott.
Mayor Goode said the FedEx Ground Distribution Facility is important because it shows major businesses that FedEx looked at the Prescott Airport area and found it attractive for distribution operations in Arizona. “Major businesses are locating here,” he said. “This is a terrific addition to the economy.”
Mayor Goode said the impact of traffic from FedEx will be minimal compared to the volume of traffic already on 89 and Pioneer Parkway. He said water use will be minimal. “This is a great opportunity for Prescott and its citizens,” he said. “The new facility will provide quality jobs and will make Prescott a shipping and logistics hub for the region.” QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN
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