Amazon customers may soon be getting their packages delivered from Vancouver. Planning documents newly submitted to the city of Vancouver propose a large parking lot for vans adjacent to a proposed warehouse building, which would be built on land that was purchased by Amazon last fall. The move seems to indicate that the world’s second-largest retailer is indeed building a warehouse and distribution center in the area. The warehouse property lies east of Northeast 147th Avenue and north of Northeast 59th Street, behind the Fourth Plain Walmart Supercenter. The Seattle-based colossus purchased the land in October of last year for $4.4 million. Documents submitted to the city showed that the modified development proposal would increase the building’s square footage and change the building’s orientation. Plans for the property were previously submitted to the city in May of last year, proposing a tilt-up concrete building some 45 to 55 feet tall. At the time, the proposal was for a 560,000- or 620,000-square-foot building, as well as 110 truck docks along two sides of the building and a 40-foot-wide access point. “The general functionality of the site and the access locations will generally remain the same,” read the revised planning documents. However, the application states the site’s southern driveway may need to be moved to better align with its vehicle storage lot.

In September of last year, two city permits were issued for the property — the first for stormwater compliance and the second for mechanical, plumbing and electrical work. The city issued a site development permit in August. A pre-application was submitted to the city of Vancouver for a second property across the street from Amazon’s property. While the neighboring lot currently is not owned by Amazon, the application did include updated plans for the Amazon property, showing a connection between the two. The 8.05 acres would hold 446 van parking spaces and a 30-foot-wide drive aisle. The application proposes a crosswalk connecting the van storage lot with the neighboring Amazon warehouse site. The land for the vehicle storage lot, which is part of the Birtcher Business Park, is currently owned by the Frances Keller Trust. The trust is associated with the Seattle-based Keller Supply Company, which sells HVAC and plumbing supplies. Amazon’s property also used to belong to the trust. The application was submitted by DOWL, a multi-state engineering firm with an office in Vancouver. This would be Amazon’s first large distribution center in Clark County; it has other large facilities in the Portland area.

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