VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in Virginia Beach Monday afternoon to make a major economic announcement for the city.

Youngkin was joined by Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, and others, at the intersection of Harpers Road and Dam Neck Road, which will eventually be the site of a multi-story robotics Amazon fulfillment center and a delivery station, Gov. Youngkin announced. The project is going on a combined 237 acres.

“Virginia Beach is the ideal location for Amazon operations facilities due to its strategic location to the Port of Virginia, accessibility, and available workforce. We welcome Amazon to the Virginia Beach community and look forward to a successful partnership,” Dyer said.

The state-of-the-art facilities will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs.

The 650,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment center is anticipated to launch operations in 2025. The delivery station is anticipated to launch in 2024, in time for the busy holiday season.

“Amazon’s cutting-edge fulfillment centers generate major capital investment and thousands of jobs and strengthen Virginia’s position as a logistics industry leader on the East Coast,” said Youngkin. “We see Amazon’s expanding footprint impacting economic growth and innovation across the Commonwealth, and we will continue to compete for additional investment in Virginia.”  

Virginia Beach City Council voted 10-1 at an August meeting to move the project forward, and also agreed to pay for a new road to be built between Dam Neck Road and London Bridge Road. The new road will run behind the Prince George Estates neighborhood. Those who expressed concern over potential truck noise were advised that there are requirements for “substantial landscaping” to provide a buffer.

Councilman Chris Taylor was the one member who voted against the project, saying it would cut other road projects from the budget. Taylor also expressed concern that the giant company could steal employees from smaller businesses.

The new Virginia Beach facilities represent the company’s 14th fulfillment and sortation center in the Commonwealth, as well as the 17th delivery station.

WAVY News 10’s Lauryn Moss was at Monday’s economic announcement. Look for her live coverage beginning today at 4 p.m.