E-commerce giant Amazon’s 3.6 million-square-foot LIT1 fulfillment center at the Port of Little Rock, closed since Oct. 22 because of a structural engineering issue, will remain closed until Nov. 21 because of “rare seismic activity” not accounted for in the building’s design, the retailer said Friday in a notice to the facility’s more than 2,000 employees.
The building was set to reopen on Saturday. According to the notice, all employees will be paid for their scheduled shifts.
On Friday, the city released notice of permits issued for 16 capital improvements in the building, none of which appear to be related to the structural integrity of the building.
“We were recently informed by the site’s structural engineering firm that the design may not have fully accounted for rare seismic activity,” the notice says. “We’ve been working with third-party experts to conduct building assessments and determine if we need to make any modifications. Like with any inspection, it can take time and is still in process.”
The notice says the seismic events are unlikely and the risks are small. Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly did not elaborate on what the “rare seismic activity” was.
Melony Martinez, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, couldn’t be reached for comment Friday regarding any seismic activity in or around the Port of Little Rock. Bryan Day, executive director of the port, couldn’t be reached for comment.
“While those kinds of events are unlikely and the risk from them is very small, we take even the smallest potential issues seriously,” the notice says.
The city provided the Democrat-Gazette with 16 building permits related to the facility, totaling at least $7,155,000. The permits are for electrical work, a dock automation system and other nonstructural improvements.
It remains unclear how much the issue has been discussed between Amazon, the building’s owner and the city, if at all.
Kelly said on Thursday that the building’s landlord, CF BAT LIT LLC, is involved in the remediation process. CF BAT LIT is a Delaware-registered limited liability company owned by Fortress Investment Group.
Mark Lane, a spokesman for Fortress, said in an email that Amazon is “responsible for next steps here” and declined to comment on the facility’s shutdown on Thursday.
Both the e-commerce giant and the city contend that there has been communication between the two. Apryl Jackson, a city spokeswoman, said in an email Thursday afternoon that the city “is in communication with Amazon and its representatives.” Jackson did not respond to a request for comment regarding communications between the city and Amazon over the past month.
However, a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette did not turn up any communications between employees of the Little Rock Planning and Development Department and Amazon.
After a report by the Democrat-Gazette, J.R. Mills, a Freedom of Information Act officer with the city, sent an email to the newspaper on Friday containing the 16 building permits not originally included in the city’s response to the Freedom of Information Act request.
None of those additional documents contained communication between city employees and Amazon or the building’s owner.
When asked on Friday if there were any communications between the city, Mills said he had sent all documents provided by the Planning and Development Department.
Kelly reiterated in an email Friday that the company has shared information with the city.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration could not be reached for comment amid the federal government shutdown. A noise exposure complaint settled in 2022 is the only complaint on record with the administration for the facility.
Lucas Dufalla is a Report for America Corps member. Financial support for this coverage came from the Community Journalism Project.
