Protesters rally against Amazon warehouse proposal in McKinleyville

Booing filled Azalea Hall as about 200 people packed a four-hour county meeting over Amazon’s proposed warehouse at 3110 Boeing Ave. in McKinleyville’s Airport Business Park, turning a permit review into a larger argument about the town’s economic future.

The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department received the coastal development permit application on Oct. 21, 2025 for a 40,290-square-foot commercial warehouse and parking areas on six parcels near the Humboldt County Airport and Arcata-Eureka Airport. County officials said the April 29 informational meeting at 1620 Pickett Rd., next to Pierson Park, was not a final hearing and that more chances for public comment would come before any decision. The county added Zoom access in an April 24 update.

The crowd made clear that the proposal has become a local flashpoint long before the planning commission takes it up. Two Amazon representatives, Sonya Kinz and Stephen Maduli-Williams, attended the meeting. When John Ford introduced them, they were booed, a sign of how deeply the plan has already divided residents.

Amazon told the meeting the warehouse would be much smaller than some last-mile facilities in other communities, which can exceed 150,000 square feet, and said it could bring about 227 jobs, including roughly 115 full-time positions. Supporters of the project see that as a rare chance for industrial employment and logistics capacity in a county that has struggled to diversify its economy.

Opponents say the costs could land much closer to home. They warned of added truck traffic in the Airport Business Park, pressure on nearby roads, and spillover effects for small businesses that depend on local spending. Humboldt County Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said online shopping drains sales tax benefits from local stores, reduces local jobs and weakens support for schools, roads and law enforcement. He also said the proposed facility would not qualify as a distribution center for increased sales tax benefits and argued the county should not be chasing Amazon’s jobs and working conditions.

County officials said the project still must go through environmental and zoning review before a hearing at the Humboldt County Planning Commission. The commission would make the first decision, with appeals possible to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and the California Coastal Commission.

The warehouse fight has quickly become more than a permit question. It is a test of whether McKinleyville wants a global retailer’s promise of jobs and freight capacity, or a development path that keeps more spending, tax revenue and control in the local economy.