By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review

A parcel of land in Weston approved earlier this year for a distribution facility has been purchased by Amazon, according to land records.

Over the past several months, Greg Koziol of the Ambrose Property Group in Indianapolis successfully negotiated a conditional use permit and change to limited industrial zoning for the land at 7007 County Hwy. J for what was termed ‘Project Timberwolf.’ At the time, the property was owned by Anthony and Diane Morice, of Chandler, Ariz. and Koziol’s request detailed plans for an “early deployment hub” for the proposed distribution facility operations “while (the) main facility is being constructed.” Public hearings were held in March and June.

But after approval was secured, the property was sold to Amazon.com Services, of Seattle, according to the Marathon County Land Record System. The roughly 16-acre property, purchased in 2003 for about $544,000, sold to Amazon in August for more than $1.2 million, land records show.

This is the first time Amazon has been discovered in public documents related to the project. The document was recorded on Aug. 15, 2023.

In a June 12 presentation to the Weston Plan Commission, Koziol discussed the project’s size and scope but did not mention plans for Amazon to purchase the property. The 79,950 square foot building will have auto, van and trailer parking, a private access road and a final completion date of late 2024, according to village documents.

In the meantime, Ambrose was granted permission to build a 45-by-30 foot loading tent to launch operations beginning in November this year.

“The idea is to accelerate our users’ need to service the Weston community this year,” Koziol said, while describing temporary buildings that will be in use until the permanent facility is completed.

Koziol repeatedly referred to the “user” of the site during the meeting, but meeting video dies not show that any Plan Commission member asked the identity of the user.

Ambrose Property Group has been involved in numerous Amazon transactions including high-profile negotiations for the company’s future headquarters, according to IndyStar. The group has also been a stakeholder in at least two additional Amazon projects in Indiana, media reports state.

Unclear is whether village officials were aware the plan was to transfer the property to Amazon, which has been under fire nationally amid multiple reports of difficult working conditions and worker mistreatment.

Wausau Pilot & Review reached out to the Ambrose Group for additional details on plans for Project Timberwolf but did not receive an immediate reply. The newspaper has also reached out to several village leaders for additional information about the impact on jobs and prior communication regarding Amazon’s intent.