Hanover Twp., Luzerne County, PA -
Hanover Township has been selected as the site for a 250,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Amazon last-mile distribution center.
Sam Guesto, Hanover Township manager, said township officials met with the Amazon site selection team several times to tout the area, offering various reasons why the township was the place to build the new facility, rather than others in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Guesto said the facility will be constructed on a 125-acre site on Dziak Drive that was formerly owned by Earth Conservancy. The site is abandoned coal lands.
According to Luzerne County records, the 7-parcel site was purchased by Amazon from NorthPoint Development for $24.75 million. The deed was recorded on Sept. 26.
“We met several times with the Amazon selection team to promote the area and its amenities,” Guesto said. “Our key points on the township were how we are near I-81/I-80 and within two hours of major cities, the known fact about the areas strong work ethic, the township’s EMS professionals and commitment to safe community and the ability to partner with a close community college like Luzerne County Community College for workforce development — which the Amazon team really liked.”
Guesto said Amazon, along with managing partner NorthPoint Development, will reclaim all of the mine-scarred land to bring it back to a functioning site where the 275,000-square-foot distribution facility will be built. The site is adjacent to the Safelite AutoGlass Distribution Center building in NorthPoint Development’s Tradeport 164 development.
Guesto said the facility will serve as a local hub where packages are sorted from larger fulfillment centers and prepared for final delivery to customers. He said it is expected to have upwards of 900 Amazon Vans for deliveries and approximately 100 on-site employees during peak operation.
The land was first purchased by NorthPoint and then sold to Amazon when they shifted their business model to be owners rather than tenants.
Guesto said the Amazon Distribution Center will serve a 50-mile radius with an estimated 800 to 900 delivery vehicles operating out of the site.
An Amazon last-mile distribution center, or delivery station, is the final stop in Amazon’s transportation network, where packages are sorted and prepared for delivery to customers’ doorsteps.
These facilities handle the last delivery stage, from being picked up from a broader distribution center and loaded onto a vehicle to reaching the customer.
Amazon operates more than 550 such stations globally, serving as a crucial component for high-speed delivery services — and they are also increasingly being used for handling customer returns.
Guesto said site work/excavation is expected to begin the last week of October. He said the facility will provide approximately 150 to 200 in-house jobs, plus contracted drivers will also be utilized.
Guesto said after meeting several times with the Amazon team, the township was notified in late June that it was selected as the site.
John Augustine, president/CEO at Penn’s Northeast, commented on the news.
“The new location of Amazon’s last-mile distribution center continues to prove that is the premier logistics hub in the state,” Augustine said. “We welcome them to the region and look forward to the many people they will employ.”
