Home Depot plans Yaphank distribution center for faster bulky-item delivery

Home Depot’s planned Yaphank logistics center could put bulky goods closer to Long Island jobsites, cutting the time it takes to move lumber, building materials and flooring into same-day and next-day delivery lanes. The proposed 414,000-square-foot facility would cost about $157 million to build, with another $11 million in site improvements, and the company sought a sales tax exemption worth about $481,250 as it pushed the project through Brookhaven review.

The Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency listed the project on its March 25 agenda as the “Brookhaven Logistics Center - Subtenant Application - Home Depot,” and the next meeting was scheduled for April 15. Brookhaven IDA CEO Lisa Mulligan described the application as pending approval. Home Depot’s tax counsel, Kevin Reddick, said the site would use light rail and flatbed truck transportation to move lumber, building materials and flooring, a setup that fits the company’s heavy-goods network far better than a typical parcel operation.

The job count is modest compared with a full-size store network, but the company said the site could generate about 200 full-time positions, either directly with Home Depot or through third-party logistics providers. In practice, that likely means a mix of warehouse workers, truck drivers, dock staff and support roles to keep inbound and outbound freight moving. For associates in stores across Suffolk County and the wider region, more local fulfillment capacity can mean fewer inventory bottlenecks in the aisles, faster replenishment for pro desks and garden departments, and less time spent waiting on large deliveries that have to reach a jobsite on schedule.

The project also fits a much larger buildout. By the end of fiscal 2025, Home Depot was using 104.7 million square feet in distribution facilities, fulfillment centers and warehouses, up from 55 million square feet in fiscal 2017. The company said in its fiscal 2025 annual report that total sales rose 3.2% to $164.7 billion and net earnings reached $14.2 billion, while noting that “our stores remain the core of our business.” That is the key balance for workers to watch: stores still drive the customer relationship, but more product is being routed through a supply chain built to move faster and farther.

Home Depot has been building toward that model for years. In 2020, it announced plans to build about 150 flatbed distribution centers aimed at same-day and next-day delivery to 90% of U.S. customers. Supply chain reporting in March 2025 said three flatbed distribution centers were under construction with more in the pipeline, and March 2024 reporting said nearly half of Home Depot’s online orders were being fulfilled by stores in the fourth quarter at that time. The warehouse careers page says those distribution-center jobs offer “consistent schedules and competitive pay,” a reminder that the company’s delivery push is also a labor story, not just a logistics one.