KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – Amazon officials confirmed Friday the online shopping giant will open a delivery station in Knoxville next year.

Amazon will open its fifth delivery station in Tennessee at the former site of the Knoxville Center Mall, located about five miles east of downtown Knoxville. The site is expected to be operational in 2022.

“Knoxville Center Mall, at one time, was the epicenter of our community. Even though the mall is gone, it’s great to see this property being put to good use,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “This much flat land isn’t something we have a lot of in Knox County. We are thrilled to have the delivery center utilizing the space and excited about the hundreds of good-paying, well-benefited jobs that will be available.”

Delivery stations receive packages from Amazon fulfillment centers, like the one being built in nearby Alcoa, and cover the final few miles to deliver them to customers.

A release from Amazon said the station will create hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs, paying a minimum of $15 per hour and offering a variety of benefits packages from day one.

“We warmly welcome Amazon to Knoxville. Their decision to invest here will create hundreds of new jobs,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “Even better, Amazon will bring back into reuse a large vacant site, a closed mall, that could have remained empty for decades to come.”

Amazon spokesperson Courtney Johnson Norman confirmed the company plans to demolish the existing building and build a new facility, slated to be more than 220,000 square feet.

For anyone concerned about what the site will do to traffic in noise in the region, Norman also mentioned the company plans to take any concerns into consideration throughout their planning.

“When we come to a community, we know that you have to become part of that community,” Norman said. “We look forward to doing that in Knoxville by listening to the community and their needs. We’re here to be a supportive member of the Knoxville community”

There are currently four delivery stations in Tennessee and Amazon currently has more than 250 delivery stations in the U.S. New Amazon delivery stations are designed to meet the needs of electric delivery vehicles as the company works to achieve their goal of putting 10,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road in 2022.

“Tennessee is a great place to do business and we are excited to continue to invest in the state with the new delivery station in Knoxville, providing efficient delivery for customers, and creating hundreds of job opportunities for the talented workforce in the region.”

Courtney Johnson Norman, Amazon Spokesperson