CLAY, N.Y. — The e-commerce distribution center proposed in Clay is so big, not everyone in the Syracuse area is convinced it will actually get built here.
But here’s another sign it will.
The family that owns the Liverpool Public Golf and Country Club, where the nearly 4 million-square-foot development is proposed, is selling the facility’s equipment, right down to its lawn mowers and golf carts.
Brzostek’s Auction Service has scheduled a public auction of the golf course’s restaurant equipment on March 10 and an auction of its golf course equipment on March 11. Both auctions will be held at 10 a.m. each day at the country club at 7209 Morgan Road.
So, it certainly looks like the owners of the golf course are confident the sale of the property to developer Trammell Crow Co. will go through and construction of the $350 million warehouse will start this spring. Many believe the warehouse will be occupied by online giant Amazon.
The sale has not happened yet. Stephen Schmitt, who manages the golf course, said his family is working on the assumption that it will happen this spring and wants to be prepared. That’s why it is selling the country club’s equipment, he said.
“We’re hoping to close sometime this spring, so we’re clearing house,” he said.
That said, “Nothing is ever done before it’s done,” he added. If the sale does not go through, the golf course will purchase new equipment and reopen, he said.
“We’ll know soon enough,” he said. “If it doesn’t go through, it’s still a golf course.”
Trammell Crow has said the distribution center will employ 1,000 people. Nine hundred of the jobs will pay $30,000 a year, 50 will pay $33,000 and 50 will pay $60,000, according to the company.
The country club is owned by Schmitt’s mother, Roberta Schmitt, her brother Ronald Ajemian and the estate of her late brother Richard Ajemian. The family has owned the country club since 1947.
Dallas-based Trammell Crow has agreed to pay $5.23 million for the 110-acre golf course.
The company has said it is designing the distribution center for an e-commerce company or retailer, but it has not yet said who the tenant will be. Given the size of the building the company plans to build, the tenant is likely Amazon, according to logistics experts.
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Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
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