Is Amazon Looking to Move Into Woodbridge?

Is Amazon looking to move into Woodbridge?

The giant online etailer is rumored to be looking into a warehouse in the Avenel section of Woodbridge, according to a report on NJBIZ.com.

KTR Capital Partners announced in January that they were building a $200 million Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville Township, with the facility to open sometime in 2014. The same corporation is said by a source speaking to NJBIZ to have a contract to purchase the old C&S Wholesale Grocers building, located on Blair Road in the Avenel section of the township.

C&S closed their doors

If the deal goes through, the Avenel site, the second in the state, is said to offer hundreds of local jobs. The C&S facility is approximately 500,000 sq. ft., NJBIZ said.

Amazon crafted a deal with Gov. Chris Christie in May of 2012, in which in exchange for the New Jersey warehouses and Economic Development Authority (EDA) tax incentives, Amazon would begin collecting sales tax on purchases made by New Jersey residents.

That will happen sometime in 2013. New Jersey will join 13 other states where sales tax is collected on Amazon purchases.

There was also no word on whether the Amazon location in Woodbridge will be eligible for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) arrangements that Mayor John McCormac makes with many businesses.

That means that corporations pay the municipal government a flat rate for a set number of years. The businesses are exempt from paying Board of Education (BOE) taxes for the same time period, by far the largest portion of Woodbridge homeowners property tax bill.

The numerous PILOT programs in Woodbridge means that township taxpayers pay higher BOE taxes so they can make up the tax difference to the BOE.

Follow Woodbridge Patch on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for the daily newsletter.