Wayfair to build shipping center in Romeoville

The online home goods retailer Wayfair said Friday it plans to build a fulfillment center in Romeoville, where it will hire 250 workers.

The company said peak employment at the 1.2 million-square-foot facility could eventually approach 500 jobs. It will be built on 60 acres along Renwick Road, with a projected opening in mid-2022. Wayfair said construction should start this spring.

In January, Wayfair committed to a minimum wage of $15 per hour at all U.S. locations. It said it offers “market-leading compensation” that includes a full benefits package.

“Online retail continues to be the dominant force in the market today,” Romeoville Mayor John Noak said. He said such fulfillment centers are “large property and sales tax generators, which provide additional funding to our schools and other taxing bodies.”

Noak said the only tax incentive the project will receive is a reduction in the municipal portion of its state sales tax.

The proposal will benefit from a state-funded extension of Pinnacle Drive, which will run from Airport Road to Renwick Road, officials said. They said a traffic light will be added at Pinnacle and Renwick.