Local elected officials don’t see a lack of air travel within Chautauqua County as a “deal breaker” in trying to attract an Amazon distribution center to the area after its developer, Trammell Crow Company, withdrew its commitment from its originally planned site in Grand Island late last week.

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning said Friday that given the county’s vicinity to Erie International Airport and Buffalo-Niagara International Airport that a “project of this magnitude” could be able to make those distances work.

“Relatively speaking, you can thread that needle from a perspective of meeting the air demands,” said Reed, who represents the 23rd district in Congress. “Obviously, we continue to support getting Chautauqua County that air qualification and Essential Air Service subsidies and that’s something we’re going to be able to solve in short order, in my opinion, but the bottom line is that is not a deal breaker given that there are communities that two hours to get to an airport is not unreasonable and we are within that, easily, with Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania.”

State Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, agreed with Reed.

“We actually have fairly decent air access within 30 minutes drive,” he said in reference to the air freight operation in Erie. “Jamestown airport could take some air freight and of course you have Niagara Falls. I don’t know how much of their product comes in by air or how much comes in by truck but (a county-owned site in Ripley) would be a great location by trucking and it’d be a solid location from air.”

County Executive PJ Wendel noted that the county airports in Jamestown and Dunkirk could prove to be a benefit. Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport at Robert H. Jackson Field in the town of Ellicott lost essential air service subsidies to provide passenger air service in 2018 because not enough passengers were utilizing the airport.

“Those are opportunities there that we don’t have a high traffic flow,” he said. “The opportunity is here. … It just depends on what they’re looking for.”

“If you’re trying to set up air freight business, you don’t want an airport that’s filled to capacity with passengers,” Goodell added. “You want an airport that is well run and has the strength and length to accommodate your freight. You could locate an Amazon warehouse next to Buffalo airport, but there’s still so much congestion traffic.”

Chautauqua County officials have been making their pitch to Trammell Crow as the Grand Island development became less likely due to its proximity to a residential area.

“We’ve been involved in this since the situation in Grand Island started looking like it was going to fall apart,” State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, said on Friday. “I’m very enthused by this. The idea of having that Amazon warehouse would be beneficial and Chautauqua County is a key strategic spot for them with the thruway and most importantly, we have the land that is not going to be interfering with residential areas. … Logistically it would be good for them and you have more than one spot to offer.”

The county also boasts an efficient workforce that should make it attractive to a large corporation like Amazon.

“What Cummins found with the Jamestown engine plant is that it’s one of its absolutely most efficient facilities in its system, produces more engines than any other plant,” she said. “They have a great work ethic, a great work system and are extraordinarily efficient.”

Goodell also cited corporations like Nestle Purina, which has a factory in Dunkirk, as well as Fieldbrook Farms, which has its headquarters in Dunkirk.

“Those are all national corporations and they’ve been investing in Chautauqua County facilities because of the quality of their work force,” he said.

The question then becomes location; and, while Wendel told The Post-Journal that several sites are being considered, all three consider a site right off Interstate 90 in the Town of Ripley as the most logical location.

“The Ripley site is what we’ve talked about,” Wendel said. “The way it’s set up, it’s almost like there would be a whole dedicated exit to it. … There’s a rail line there and a lot of opportunities that would really benefit the whole situation.”

According to a May 26, 2005 story that ran in The Post-Journal, the County Legislature unanimously approved $600,000 to develop 243 acres of land in Ripley near the New York State Thruway for a “warehouse distribution development.” At the time, the development, pending interest from a company, would provide “at least 500 good paying jobs.” Ripley Town Attorney Mike Bolender told the legislature’s Audit and Control Committee that the development of the site — located between the Thruway and Route 20 near Shortman Road — would be “the impact of Cummins Engine to this generation” according to a story from that same year, five days prior.

The site today is listed at 140 acres on LoopNet, which notes that the location is located within 500 miles of 55% of the United States population and 62% of the Canadian population while also being located equidistant from both Chicago, Ill. and New York City.

Ripley seems to be, as far as the full scale project, the most appropriate,” Borrello said, noting recent public works improvements to that site in the last several years.

“We recently expanded water and sewer there,” he added. “Already we have the travel center project there, literally right off the thruway and not far from I-86. Strategically and logistically that would be a great spot for the full scale warehouse should it continue with that size scope.”

Borrello said that he had heard the project could be split up into more than one warehouse after the fallout in Grand Island and according to various Buffalo media outlets, Trammell Crow is also considering other locations in the Medina, Town of Alabama and Niagara Falls areas.

“They may split this project and scale it down and do more than one warehouse,” Borrello said. “But, we have something to offer them, whether it’s the full scale or on a smaller scale. … We have the land, the access, the utilities and the willingness to be ready to go to put something together.”

“Right now, we’re going to do the job of selling the benefits of being located in our area,” he added.