Amazon crews prepare former Greendale Mall facility to open by holiday shopping season

The much-discussed Amazon warehouse and distribution center built at the former site of the Greendale Mall in Worcester is on track to open in time for the 2024 holiday season, as a number of construction workers were seen at the site on Thursday.

Workers were seen disposing of materials in a trash bin just outside one the facility’s loading docks. 

This activity was related to ongoing internal construction at the facility, Mike Murphy, regional PR manager for the New England field communications team at Amazon, said in an email to WBJ.

“The facility remains on track to launch before the holidays,” wrote Murphy.

Demolition of the Greendale Mall began in August 2021 after the facility had struggled for years to find tenants, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

Boston real estate firm Finard Properties bought the parcel for $7.1 million in December 2019, with intentions to turn it into the home of a large mixed-use development featuring apartments, medical offices, and retail stores.

Finard pivoted its plans away from a mixed-use development in November 2020, instead announcing the intention to have an Amazon warehouse and distribution center constructed at the site.

Four permits have been issued for the site in 2024, according to City of Worcester records. The most recent permit for the site was issued June 18 and allowed for the construction of drinking fountains inside the facility. 

The site was given a tax assessment value of $19.48 million in 2024, by the City of Worcester.