A petition has been initiated designed to prevent online giant Amazon from building a Gorham distribution center.
The campaign has already amassed hundreds of signatures from across the state, not only in the town where the warehouse would be located.
“Amazon is a bad deal for Gorham,” says the headline on the signature effort.
The company is seeking town approval for a 158,000-square-foot facility on municipal property along Main Street.
Amazon is slated to pay the town $4 million to buy the land.
“Amazon’s proposal runs in direct conflict with Gorham’s Comprehensive Plan, which states that ‘our vision of Gorham is a neighborly community and the most desirable place in Maine to live, raise a family or build a business in a healthy, robust and aesthetically pleasing environment,’” the petition states.
“While we support investment in local businesses and the creation of stable, full-time jobs in our community,” its organizers say, “we recognize that the proposed deal with Amazon will not move us closer to these goals and will instead undermine them.”
The petitioners are asking those signing the document if they would be willing to pledge money to pay a required $135,000 penalty to Amazon if the purchase-and-sale contract is voided.
Southern Maine Citizens Launch Campaign Trying To Cancel Planned Amazon Warehouse
By Ted Cohen
Strange how the city of Gorham is saying no to Amazon that would provide jobs good paying jobs. Wonder how many fields have solar solar panels in that town that do not provide year-round good-paying jobs. Funny how people look at that odd rejection. I wonder how this will work out long term and I’m sure someone in the neighbor and towns will welcome this and they will welcome the Amazon Center.
The petitioners have retained AOC to advise on lowering opportunity. Who needs permanent, well-paying jobs with benefits? Better to have a cannabis shop, a health food store and a vegan restaurant in that space.
Signed by people across the state and contribute to pay the penalty? Are the petition signers also going to pay the lost tax revenues and monies that business could make on the facility employees? Guess the town will raise fees and taxes to compensate for the loss.
seems crazy to decline this request to build….hundreds of jobs created in a state with so many people on Maine care/Medicaid.