Developer Of NYC Amazon Site Owes Contractor $7.2M, Lien Says

STATEN ISLAND, NY — The future home of Amazon's new New York City shipment center could be derailed after its developer stiffed a contractor out of $7.2 million for work on the site, according to a lien filed on the property.

The company BKS-NY filed a mechanic's lien last month on the 200-acre industrial park on the West Shore of Staten Island claiming developer Matrix Development Group hadn't paid for work over a three-year period.

The union representing workers on the spot, Local 282, also filed paperwork against BKS-NY claiming the contractor hasn't paid them $146,171 owed from May until October, according to the documents. Foley, Incorporated — which rented Caterpillar trucks to the contractor for construction — filed a lien claiming they're owed $446,381.

Matrix Development Group and the lawyer representing BKS-NY declined to comment for this article.

Construction on the site was already paused because of the cold winter temperatures, but the lien threatens to halt construction even longer if Matrix doesn't pay up, a source said.

Matrix started work on the industrial site, off Gulf Avenue in Bloomfield, in 2016 and announced last year that Amazon would open an 855,000-square-foot warehouse in the space. The move was lauded by elected officials at the time because of the potential 2,250 jobs it could bring.

"Amazon's decision to establish the first state-of-the-art fulfillment center in New York affirms our position at the forefront of the growing global innovation economy, and this investment will create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the Staten Island community," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement in September.

"New York continues to demonstrate that we have the workforce, the technology and the pro-business climate to help companies grow and succeed."

Amazon, which is also being courted by Mayor Bill de Blasio to open up its second headquarters in the city, signed a 15-year lease for the Staten Island space earlier this month, court records show. Swedish furniture giant Ikea is also looking to open a 975,000-square-foot warehouse at the park, the Staten Island Advance reported.

The former oil tank storage facility has been a sore spot for years after NASCAR planned to build a much-hated racetrack there. International Speedway Corporation, which owns NASCAR, bought the property for $100 million in 2004, the New York Times reported.

The idea was immediately met with opposition from elected officials and neighbors concerned about potential noise and traffic on race days, the Gotham Gazette reported. The International Speedway Corporation backed out of the project and sold the site in 2007. It was sold again to the Staten Island Marine Development in 2010, the Times reported.

In 2016, Matrix bought 200-acres inside the lot from Staten Island Marine Development and announced plans to turn it into a four building industrial park — dubbed Matrix Global Logistics Park — later that year.

"I've had some personal history with this property and it hasn't always been positive," Staten Island Borough President James Oddo said at the groundbreaking of the site in 2016.

"To see a professional, first grade operation now own it and to deal with them on what seems like a weekly basis has been really refreshing and my staff and I are committed to seeing this through."

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch