Will Amazon Be Coming to West Long Beach?

I recently spoke with someone working on Via Oro Ave. near Carson St. and Hughes Way. He said that he and his co-workers have been hearing about Amazon moving into this section of the West Long Beach Business Parks Planned Development District. There are a few active office buildings there, but some have been empty for a long time.

It’s located off the Santa Fe Avenue I-405 exit, west of the I-405 and I-710 intersection. Down at the far end of Via Oro Ave., near the freeway and past the giant satellite dish, you’ll see three interconnected government buildings, which have offices for LA County’s Department of Public Social Services, and the Housing Authority for the City of Long Beach.

Japanese auto parts maker and robotics manufacturer DENSO Corporation has a building down the street. As for the giant satellite dish, it’s known as the California Broadcast Center, which serves as a major operational and broadcasting hub for DirecTV.

After looking at construction projects and getting feedback from the City of Long Beach’s Community Development Department, there are projects in the works on Via Oro Ave., but not with Amazon. That could happen at some point, but for now Amazon appears to be part of another construction project that has been granted permission to build a facility at 2401 E. Wardlow Road near the airport.

It’s an industrial property and is part of the Goodman Commerce Center, which has been recently redeveloped on the former Boeing C-17 site. The lease agreement highlights the growing demand for large-scale distribution facilities that are located near ports in coastal markets that experience supply constraints, according to Traded, a commercial real estate news source.

That report says that Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy leased the 504,810-square-foot industrial building for Amazon. Each building will require Planning Commission approval. The overall project by Australian-based developer The Goodman Group includes two other buildings that are across the city boundary and must be approved separately by the city of Lakewood. It may become an Amazon Logistics delivery station, creating hundreds of jobs for workers in the area, according to Traded.

Long Beach Business Journal reported that in May 2023, the Planning Commission approved construction of two buildings – 505,043-square-foot and 77,552-square-foot – to be built on 28 acres at 2401 E. Wardlow Road for either manufacturing or warehousing/logistics uses. The master plan that was part of the approval does not mention Amazon. Goodman did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment as to whether or not Amazon will be part of the project development.

Amazon Responds to Inquiry

“While we're always evaluating our operations network to ensure we're able to best serve customers, I’m not aware of any current plans to take space in the West Long Beach Business Parks Planned Development District. As for other potential projects – we don't have anything to share right now,” said Austin Stowe with Amazon’s PR team.

Craig Nakano, community information officer with the City of Long Beach’s Community Development Department, provided more information on three projects underway on Via Oro Ave.

3800 Via Oro Ave: While the applicant had originally filed two Site Plan Review applications – Scenario 1 for a warehouse and Scenario 2 for a warehouse and data center – that applicant withdrew the application for Scenario 2 earlier this year. That application for the warehouse with no data center is in Site Plan Review. It will go before the Planning Commission for a vote at a noticed public hearing, with the date to be determined.

3901 Via Oro Ave.: The proposed project called for demolition of an office building and construction of a new shell-only warehouse of about 63,430 square feet, plus an office of about 9,800 square feet. Building and grading permits were issued April 1, and demolition permits were issued on May 6.

4000 Via Oro Ave.: The proposed project called for construction of a 60-foot-tall warehouse that would be about 517,437 square feet in size, with an accessory office mezzanine, 542 parking stalls, and 174 loading/trailer parking spaces. The project was approved by Planning Commission on May 1, 2025, and then appealed to City Council.

The council denied all appeals on June 10, 2025, and upheld the Planning Commission's decision. The project went through California Environmental Quality Act lawsuits, which have been settled. This project is currently in the Plan Check phase.

The West Long Beach Business District, and areas near the airport and Space Beach, appear to be ideal for the huge logistics and transport sector tied to the ports, the airport, railways, and truck transport. Amazon and several other companies are at the center of that growing international industry.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.