The mysterious and massive package-delivery center planned near the Eugene Airport will generate so much traffic that it needs an air pollution permit.
The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency is seeking public comment until 5 pm July 22 on its proposal to approve the facility, which will generate, on average, a vehicle trip every 28 seconds, 20 hours a day, according to its application.
As Eugene Weekly previously reported, the huge proposed complex off Highway 99 has all the hallmarks of an Amazon “sortation” center, a type of local distribution hub the Seattle-based e-commerce company has constructed around the country. The main building would be the size of nearly six football fields.
Amazon won’t confirm or deny it is behind the project. “We’re always exploring the possibility of opening operations facilities — from small to large in scale — in communities across the U.S. We’ll share more as additional progress is made and we have something to announce,” spokesperson Amber Plunkett tells EW.
All the permit application documents submitted by contractors to the city of Eugene, the Oregon Department of State Lands, and now LRAPA, avoid stating who the facility is for.
Because of its parking volume, the center, under LRAPA rules, needs what is called an “indirect source” pollution permit to verify it handles traffic efficiently and won’t push air pollution in the Lane County area to violate National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Trucking at regional distribution centers in the Los Angeles metro area has contributed to severe air pollution there. Regulators have prodded centers to switch to all-electric trucks, news reports say. Much of California, including the L.A. area, violates National Ambient Air Quality Standards. In Oregon, the Klamath Falls area violates the standards for particulate emissions. Lane County is in compliance.
Particulates and formaldehyde
Vehicles using the proposed Eugene facility would generate up to 20 tons of particulate emissions a year and 39 tons of volatile organic compounds, including up to four tons of formaldehyde, according to LRAPA’s proposed permit. VOCs are gases released from vehicle fuels and parts.
The center appears to be for delivering packages to Lane County area homes and businesses.
“The key to this facility is the need of this delivery service within the region,” states the application to LRAPA submitted by construction giant Trammel Crow, which has built many Amazon distribution facilities.
The application is fuzzy on the types and numbers of vehicles the facility would use. “As technology improves” the facility would “incorporate more electronic vehicles than traditional gas-powered vehicles,” the application states.
Ditching USPS, UPS
Currently, Amazon delivers packages in the Lane County area using some of its own vans, but mainly via UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service. Nationwide, and in Oregon, Amazon is creating its own delivery network to cut out those carriers. Amazon builds mind-boggling million-square-foot regional centers where goods are stored and orders are picked and packaged, and then sent to smaller “sortation centers” the size of the proposed Eugene facility, which delivers to customers in a metro area.
2,592 trips a day
The Eugene facility would have about 1,000 parking spaces for delivery vehicles, plus 368 parking spaces for workers, and will generate 2,592 vehicle trips per day, according to its air pollution application. That’s more than two trips a minute, based on the facility running 20 hours a day.
Planning, construction, architectural and other contractors have worked for months on the project. None have responded to EW requests for comment. EW was the first to break the news of the project in January.
Construction by the winter
Trammel Crow’s application says construction will start in December and be done by January 2027. The facility would be on 84 acres of what is now farmland that is owned by a Sisters-based family. The real estate broker representing the family tells EW he’s signed an agreement not to disclose the identity of the pending buyer.
The land is zoned for industry as part of Eugene’s growth plan.
A consultant is seeking Oregon Department of State Lands approval to fill and pave over nine acres of wetlands on the site.
For more information on the air pollution permit, visit Lrapa-or.gov. Comments can be mailed to Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, 1010 Main St., Springfield, OR 97477, or emailed to Permitting@lrapa-or.gov.
Bricks $ Mortar is a column anchored by Christian Wihtol, who worked as an editor and writer at The Register-Guard between 1990-2018, much of the time focused on real estate, economic development and business. Reach him at Christian@EugeneWeekly.com.