Why Amazon is so interested in Maine

In the last two years, Amazon has moved deliberately to expand its operations in Maine as part of a sweeping effort to deliver orders faster in rural communities across the country.

The reaction has been mixed, with little public awareness before the online megaretailer opened a 12,000-square-foot delivery station in Caribou last August. Then construction started in April on a 60,000-square-foot delivery facility in Hermon, just over the Bangor line, again with little fuss or fanfare.

But public scrutiny has grown with the size of more recent Amazon proposals — a 146,280-square-foot warehouse and distribution center is under planning board review in Gorham and the company announced plans in March to build a similar 159,000-square-foot facility in Waterville.

While the facilities would primarily process Amazon packages, they may handle shipments for other businesses as well, the company announced this month.

Citizen opposition groups have formed in response to the Gorham and Waterville proposals, with shared concerns about their impact on traffic, natural resources and overall quality of life in rural communities. Both projects must undergo state and federal environmental reviews and a state traffic analysis.

And while some highlight the potential economic benefits and jobs created by the proposals, others say Amazon’s expansion will further hurt local businesses and eliminate better-paying jobs, including with the U.S. Postal Service.

Opposition to the Gorham proposal is more advanced and gaining momentum as town officials have signaled repeatedly that the project may be on track to be approved.

The cues are amplified by the town council’s decision last August to sell Amazon the 94-acre site where the facility would be built. If the project is approved, the company will pay $4 million for land the town has been trying to sell since 2020.

“That’s a big reason why we retained legal support,” said Josh Trombley, spokesperson for Gorham United, which has organized an online petition against the proposal and launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $8,000 for attorney’s fees.

Some group members believe Amazon’s proposal is incomplete, violates the town’s comprehensive plan and fails to address wetland and shoreland impacts.

“There is some concern that maybe the planning board’s common practice is to rubber stamp things,” Trombley said. “But we have found aspects of Amazon’s proposal that violate state and local laws. The board’s job is to enforce the law and we’re hoping that they will do their job.”

Town Planner Carolyn Eyerman said the board reviews all applications for compliance with local and state laws. Two waivers granted to the Amazon proposal at a public hearing this month — one to allow overhead utilities and another to allow three driveways instead of just one — don’t predetermine the outcome, she said via email.

“The board’s final decision will be based on whether the proposal meets all applicable standards, taking into account the full record developed during the review process,” Eyerman said.

A growing footprint

The four so-called last-mile delivery stations already built or planned in Maine are part of a $4 billion initiative Amazon unveiled in April 2025. The company plans to add 1.2 million square miles to its rural network by the end of this year, a move it says would cut average delivery times in half for people living in over 13,000 zip codes.

Amazon also plans to be shipping more. The company announced May 4 that it has opened its delivery system — freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel shipping — to businesses of all types and sizes, not only Amazon sellers. Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands’ End and American Eagle Outfitters are among the first to sign on.

Amazon representatives wouldn’t say how many more delivery stations are planned in Maine, although Lewiston has cropped up as a likely next location.

“We’re committed to being a good neighbor as our footprint in the state grows,” said Jonathan Greeley, Amazon’s head of economic development in New England.

The delivery stations are designed to handle packages shipped directly from Amazon fulfillment centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, Greeley said. In southern Maine, Amazon packages are currently stored and delivered by third parties, including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.

The expansion of Amazon’s rural network is expected to create more than 100,000 full- and part-time jobs nationwide and allow the company to deliver over 1 billion additional packages annually.

The Gorham facility would employ up to 170 full- and part-time workers, while the Waterville site would employ as many as 200 workers, company representatives said.

More jobs would be created for van drivers, including small delivery companies and independent drivers using their own vehicles, according to Amazon’s website. Full-time positions at delivery stations earn “an average hourly wage nearly triple the federal minimum (of $7.25 per hour), plus benefits, the website states.

The quality of jobs created by these delivery stations is often called into question. Peach Cushing, a postal worker who lives in Portland, was one of several people who raised the issue at the Gorham public hearing.

Amazon’s reliance on part-time and independent drivers would replace many USPS positions with lesser paid, nonunion jobs without benefits or worker protections, Cushing said.

“The overall economic impact on southern Maine will be tremendously negative,” Cushing said.

Some sites near highways

The delivery station in Caribou is located in a former industrial building in a mostly commercial area off Route 1. Its nearest neighbors include a roller skating rink, a bowling alley and a Quality Inn & Suites.

Amazon wouldn’t say how many people work there now, how much they’re paid or how deliveries are going throughout northern Maine.

But back in September, when Gov. Janet Mills attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a company representative said the delivery station employed about 10 people and had contracts with about 200 drivers who delivered packages in their personal vehicles, according to The County.

At that time, the facility was delivering about 900 packages daily in and around Caribou, Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle, with a goal to push that number to 7,000, the local newspaper reported. At full operation, the facility was expected to handle deliveries within a 60-mile radius, stretching as far north as Fort Kent and as far south as Houlton.

“The Amazon facility is off to a strong start,” Penny Thompson, Caribou’s city manager, said this month via email. “Deliveries are arriving faster, and residents can grab flexible shifts in both warehouse and delivery roles that fit around their full-time jobs. And the employees who relocated to launch the facility tell us they are happy they chose Caribou.”

In Hermon, Amazon is building a delivery station on 44 acres off Hammond Street. It was the site of the Bangor Drive-In from 1950 until it closed permanently in 2021. It’s just 2 miles from Interstate 95 and a cluster of hotels near Bangor International Airport.

A bit farther south, the delivery station recently announced in Waterville would be built at Junction and Trafton roads on a 48-acre parcel that extends into neighboring Sidney, where some parking and a stormwater management area would be located. The station would be less than a quarter mile from Interstate 95.

The proposal “aligns perfectly” with Waterville’s comprehensive plan and the region’s economic development strategy, said Garvan Donegan, president and CEO of the Central Maine Growth Council.

The Amazon proposal would take advantage of a recently built highway interchange, Exit 124, which was designed to support commercial development in the area, Donegan said via email. The company also plans to extend public water service and electricity to the site.

“This vital infrastructure expansion will organically unlock important, long-term commercial development,” Donegan said. The proposal overall would help secure “high economic dividends for the entire Waterville area.”

Scrutiny of larger plans

Some are less enthusiastic about the Waterville project.

Residents have set up a Facebook group, Sidney-Waterville Citizens for Smart Growth, and started organizing to learn more about the proposal. In addition to concerns about traffic, noise and light emanating from the site, they worry that the onsite wastewater disposal system might contaminate groundwater and area wells.

“I’m keenly aware that this proposal would increase traffic and change the rural character of Sidney,” said Tim Stonesipher, an organizer. “I care about the holistic picture of what this will bring to our communities.”

Supporters of the Amazon proposal in Gorham can’t boast about its highway proximity. The Main Street site is 5 miles from Maine Turnpike Exit 47 in Westbrook and close to residential developments near the town center.

Rob Lavoie, who was a Gorham town councilor from 2023-2025, spoke in favor of the proposal at this month’s planning board hearing.

“Why the concern? Is it simply because it’s Amazon?” he asked. “If the project meets all applicable zoning and ordinance requirements, then I believe it should be welcomed into Gorham.”

Whether the board will approve Amazon’s site plan remains to be seen. Jim Hager, board chair and former councilor, declined an interview request but said he expects the company to return with an updated site plan and revised documents in the next few months.

Dana Burleigh, a logistics expert who lives on Shamrock Drive, next to the site, left the board with a host of questions about the proposal’s potential impact on local traffic. He predicted that crashes would increase with the addition of more than 3,000 vehicle trips daily to already congested streets, especially when Amazon drivers are trying to meet delivery deadlines.

“This is not about being anti-business or even anti-Amazon,” he told the board. “However I, like many others, feel this project will have a devastating impact on the village of Gorham and surrounding communities.”

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Kelley Bouchard can be reached at [email protected].