Aerial photo shows 204,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse rising in Syosset

Construction is well underway on the Amazon last-mile warehouse in Syosset, once home to Cerro wire.

The $72 million project is to be completed in about a year from now, the online retailer confirmed on Wednesday.

Between 200 and 250 construction workers are expected to build the 204,000-square-foot facility north of the Long Island Expressway.

All the workers are members of unions under a deal brokered by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency, which has awarded tax breaks to the developers.

Once the Syosset warehouse opens, 150 managers and package handlers will be employed there, earning $60,000 per year and at least $15 per hour, respectively. Also, several hundred jobs will be created by the independent transportation companies whose van drivers will pick up packages for delivery, according to application for IDA aid.

The Syosset location is among at least nine warehouses on Long Island that Amazon plans to use to deliver packages to customers doorsteps.

Two facilities in Bethpage and one each in Carle Place and the Shirley-East Yaphank area are now operating. The Holbrook location will open this year, company spokeswoman Verena Gross said on Thursday.

"We are proud of the investments we've made in the state and look forward to continued growth and prosperity to best serve customers," Gross said.

Amazon has said it is opening warehouses to have more control over its business and meet customers' demand for next-day and same-day delivery. It has more than 250 last-mile facilities across the country so far.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.