BELTON, MO. — Chewy, Inc. received final approval July 21 from city officials for a new 796,000-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center in Belton, Mo. In exchange for tax abatement and incentives, Chewy, an online retailer of pet food and pet-related products, agreed to maintain an initial workforce of 1,200, and grow that to 1,600 employees within three years.

Founded in 2011, Chewy operates out of more than 15 locations across the United States, including 6.1 million square feet of fulfillment. Chewy’s new Kansas City operation at Southview Commerce Center  in Belton will be one of the largest fulfillment centers in its network by square footage.

“We are thrilled to open our first fulfillment center in Missouri and continue to grow our team. We’re so excited to be a part of this community and look forward to having a presence in the region,” said Diane Pelkey, vice president of communications and public relations at Chewy.

The Belton City Council approved the plan for an industrial development project as well as a development and performance agreement between the city and Chewy, Inc. authorizing the city to issue taxable industrial development revenue bonds not to exceed $70 million for the purpose of providing funds to pay the costs of equipping the e-commerce fulfillment center.

With the issuance of the bonds, the city will lease the project equipment to the company. Chewy will receive a sales and use tax exemption on the purchase of the project equipment. Installation of the machinery and equipment is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2021.

The development includes the nearly 800,000 square-foot industrial/manufacturing building with an additional 215,000 square-foot expansion area. The city stated the development will provide the community with new employment opportunities and a source for increased real estate taxes.

To continue to receive the tax abatement and incentives for the project equipment, Chewy will be required to maintain 1,200 jobs in 2021, 1,400 jobs in 2022 and 1,600 jobs beginning in 2023 and continuing throughout the term of the agreement. Chewy is also required to generate retail sales of $80,000,000 annually beginning in calendar year 2022 within the state of Missouri that are subject to the City’s local sales use tax.

Missouri worked with a number of regional partners in attracting Chewy to the Kansas City area, including the Kansas City Area Development Council, Missouri Partnership, City of Belton, Cushman & Wakefield, NorthPoint Development, Evergy, Spire, QPS Employment Services, Aerotek, and KC SmartPort.

Chewy is dual-headquartered in Dania Beach, Fla., and Boston, Mass.

Read about other new construction projects in the pet food and treat industry on our Facilities page.