CHURCHILL BOROUGH, Pa. — Amazon has announced that it’s pulling out of plans to develop a warehouse in the Churchill Borough at the George Westinghouse Research Park.
In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Loni Monroe said,
“We weigh a variety of factors when deciding where to develop future sites to best serve our customers. It is common for us to explore multiple locations simultaneously and adjust based on our operational needs. While we have decided not to pursue the site in Churchill, PA we are still committed to being a good neighbor, corporate citizen and community partner. We currently employ over 4,000 people in the Pittsburgh area and have contributed and committed over $2 billion in economic growth, infrastructure and employee compensation in the past decade. We look forward to continuing a great relationship with the region.”
Jennifer Korona Hoffman, a member of the Churchill Future group, who strongly opposed the warehouse, said she was happy with the news.
“I get it, I understand. That property has been empty for a long time. It needs to be developed,” Korona Hoffman said. “We need jobs, good paying jobs but we also need safe jobs, employers who have a good track record of taking care of their employees and that is not Amazon.”
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who supported the warehouse, released a statement that said, “We are delighted that Amazon employs 4,000 workers in our region and continues to build logistics centers with sites in Findlay, North Versailles, Aleppo, and Fairywood. As they continue to expand their footprint, we look forward to working with them. It’s unfortunate that a small group of nonelected residents have slowed down this development and impeded the many jobs that could be beneficial to youth in the Woodland Hills School District.”
An Amazon representative told WPXI they have no further comment on why the plans will no longer move forward.
Korona Hoffman said she hopes the Churchill Future group will be able to work with the borough to develop the site to potentially bring more jobs to the area in other ways.