Blair residents fear new Amazon facility will bring more noise and traffic

Residents in Blair say they’re concerned with the potential noise and traffic that will come with the newest Amazon fulfilment centre set to open this month.

The online retail giant said the nearly one million square foot facility on Old Mill Road will serve as a bridge between warehouses and other fulfillment centres delivering orders to customers’ front doors.

“The site will allow us to store additional inventory and make sure those items are always available for customers online,” Amazon site leader Greg Clutton told CTV News. “We’ll be moving these units back to our sites in Brampton, there’s one in Hamilton, there’s one in London. That’s really why this is such a strategic location for us.”

The company said the hiring of 250 new employees is already underway, with the possibility of reaching 1,000 new workers by sometime next year.

Cambridge Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Greg Durocher calls the facility a win for Amazon customers and local business owners.

“What businesses recognize clearly is Amazon is an IT company that’s there to help them promote their products around the world,” Durocher said.

Amazon expects to have 30 shipment trailers coming in and out of the facility per day, using Old Mill Road as the main point of entry.

Myvanwy Godbout lives across the street from the facility. She fears the warehouse will bring more traffic and more noise.

“There used to be a beautiful view just at the end of our street of a rolling hill with trees on it in the fall,” Godbout told CTV News. “Now it’s just a wall. I’m hearing gravel trucks and stuff go by so I image there’s going to be more of that.”

Baljit Brar and her family have lived at the corner of Old Mill Road and Dickie Settlement Road for 23 years.

Brar says the headlights from trucks shine through her home deep into the night.

In a statement to CTV News and Amazon spokesperson said:

“Our top priority is to be a good neighbour. This includes using designated truck routes, adhering to noise restrictions, and implementing traffic management measures.”

The facility is set to open Sept. 29th.