Feb 02, 2018
The city of Romulus made headlines when Amazon announced its intention to invest $140 million to build a fulfillment center in the city. The robotics site is one of three Amazon fulfillment centers to be located in Michigan. The new facility broke ground in July 2017 and is expected to open in the fall of 2018. It will occupy 84 acres of land and is expected to employ about 1,600 people.
Located in the heart of the Detroit Aerotropolis Region, the city of Romulus is a close-knit community that offers a simple sophistication. It provides residents all the benefits of small town living, within close proximity to larger cities, such as Detroit, Ann Arbor and Toledo.
“There is so much potential in our city,” says Tim Keyes, Director of Economic Development for the city of Romulus. “Since the Amazon announcement, we have received calls from residential, commercial and industrial developers. Everyone wants to be a part of the growth and development in our region.”
It is clear that the Amazon investment will be a catalyst for other economic development activities in the city of Romulus and throughout the region. Developers want to build housing for employees who will be relocating to the region, as well as shops and restaurants. The expanded labor pool and new development will also attract other businesses to build facilities in the region.
The city of Romulus is about 36 square miles, with Detroit Metropolitan Airport taking up 10 square miles in the middle of the city. The airport is one of the key assets of the city, with an estimated total economic impact of $10.2 billion. It has created over 86,000 jobs in the region, including 18,000 people who work at the airport.
Approximately 35 million people from around the world pass through Detroit Metropolitan Airport each year. About half of those people are on layovers within the airport. The other half, about 17.5 million people, pass through the city of Romulus on their way to or from the airport. “That is about equal to the number of visitors to Disneyland each year,” says Keyes. “The airport is a major attraction in our region.”
Romulus also offers a wide selection of vacant properties that are ready for development. These properties have excellent access to major interstate highways and are already equipped with water, sewer, electric and gas hook-ups. All of that makes it easy to initiate conversations with developers.
“As the recession lifts, we can see that economic development is starting to take hold in the region,” explains Keyes. “Our goal is to make sure we bring the right businesses to our region that will create the jobs of the future.”
The Detroit Region Aerotropolis has been a key partner in promoting economic development opportunities within the region. As the Chair of the Detroit Region Aerotropolis Development Corporation Board, Keyes has seen firsthand the benefits of this partnership.
“The Aerotropolis provides resources that focus specifically on marketing our region to developers and businesses, both nationally and internationally,” says Keyes. “Cities have limited resources for economic development. The Aerotropolis has brought the region to the forefront by marketing to companies that the cities could never reach on our own. That is a significant value for us.”
The Amazon investment is one of many recent successes in terms of economic development for the city of Romulus. Penske also broke ground on a 606,000 square foot warehousing and distribution center for refrigerated and frozen food, representing a $98 million investment in the city. The new facility will be located on Wayne Road, just south of the airport. It is expected to create at least 403 jobs in the region by the fall of 2021.
All of this new development brings more opportunities to draw workers and businesses to the region. The city of Romulus is expecting to see significant growth in the next few years. Last year, the city attracted approximately $300 million in new developments, which were primarily industrial. For 2018 and 2019 the city is anticipating more of a balance between residential, commercial and industrial development.
“My job is to keep knocking on doors to promote the city,” says Keyes. “We want to entice new development to come to Romulus and we want to make sure our existing businesses are comfortable. Retention is just as important as new business development.”
Those two concepts, retention and new business development, work together in harmony to create an overall strategy for the city of Romulus and the Detroit Aerotropolis Region. As new businesses come in, such as Amazon and Penske, it sparks more development in the region. As the region develops, conditions improve for existing businesses, which solidifies their commitment to the region.
“The city of Romulus is the home of opportunity. It is very much a blank canvas, which is exciting,” says Keyes. “We have the unique opportunity to shape the development of our region. At the end of the day, we want to be proud of what we have created.”
Sources:
Interview with Tim Keyes on 1/18/18
City of Romulus Fact Sheets from Tim Keyes
http://www.metroairport.com/TravelerInfo/GeneralInfo/AboutDTW/Facts.aspx
http://www.wcaa.us/Portals/WCAACorp/WCAA%20Documents/PDFs/DTW2013EconomicImpactReport.pdf
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/amazon-announces-new-fulfillment-center-planned-in-romulus
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2017/08/985m_warehouse_coming_to_romul.html
