Amazon plans moving forward for distribution hub at former Cortana Mall site

They have a contract to purchase the Cortana Mall site and are in the process of purchasing the department stores buildings as well.

Looks like the entire site will eventually be leveled and turned into a giant automated distribution facility.

quote:

---

LINK

Amazon’s plans to redevelop Cortana Mall into a regional distribution and fulfillment center for its rapidly expanding e-retail empire are coming closer to fruition, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Officials with the city and state remain tight-lipped about the deal, first reported by Daily Report in August. But sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say the deal is moving forward—and anecdotal evidence supports those assertions.

On Nov. 14, the long-vacant Virginia College space was placed under contract to an undisclosed buyer, according to the Louisiana Commercial Database.

Broker Lance Ginn of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, who represents the seller, confirms his client has a purchase agreement on the 90,000-square-foot space, though he cannot say who the buyer is, whether it’s Amazon or when the sale is scheduled to close.

Purchase agreements are being negotiated for the other anchor tenant spaces as well, sources say. One of those is the former Macy’s location, which has been listed for sale since the department store closed in 2016.

---

quote:

---

In order to finalize its plans, Amazon has to close six separate sales for the site—one for the mall interior, and one each for the five anchor tenant spaces, which are individually owned.

Though that’s a long and tedious process, sources say Amazon is confident the pieces are in place and the deals are coming together.

Once finalized, Amazon is expected to tear down the nearly one-million-square-foot mall property, which was built in 1977, and construct an automated distribution and fulfillment center of more than one million square feet.

The deal would be a major economic development win for Baton Rouge, creating jobs and returning a large vacant property in north Baton Rouge to commerce.

---