(Amazon Photo)

Amazon will open its second Amazon Fresh grocery store in the Seattle area next week with a location in the city’s Central District. The store is at the base of new apartment complex developed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Real Estate.

Located at 2301 S. Jackson St., below the 532-unit Jackson Apartments, the 35,000 square-foot Fresh store will open Thursday. It follows on the heels of a store opening in the Factoria area of Bellevue, Wash., which attracted curious shoppers at its opening back in June.

The store won’t be as high-tech as the Bellevue location, which features Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” cashierless shopping technology for the first time in one of its full-size grocery locations. The tech was pioneered at smaller Amazon Go convenience stores.

The Jackson Street location will feature a traditional checkout experience, but the Amazon Dash Cart will be an option. The smart cart uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect and log items on a digital display behind the handle. Amazon said new Alexa features “help customers manage their shopping lists and better navigate the aisles.”

Amazon says it’s bringing hundreds of high-quality jobs to the community, with starting pay of $17 an hour.

The first Amazon Fresh store opened in Woodland Hills, Calif., in August 2020, and Amazon has since opened 16 stores throughout southern California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state, and Washington, D.C. The Seattle store will be the 17th, and new stores are slated for Woodland Park, N.J.; Paramus, N.J.; and more locations in southern California and the Chicago area. Amazon did not have details on which future locations would have “Just Walk Out” tech.

Jackson Apartments in Seattle, developed by Vulcan Real Estate. (Vulcan Photo)

Vulcan Real Estate, the investment arm of the late Microsoft co-founder Allen, acquired what was called Promenade 23 in 2016 for $30.9 million. The land used to be home to a Red Apple grocery store and other retailers. The move into the Central District was a first for Vulcan, which has extensive holdings in the South Lake Union neighborhood. The historically black Central District has seen rapid displacement as the tech boom continues to bring thousands of well-paid employees looking for housing to the city.

Vulcan’s website says the Jackson Apartments include 20% affordable workforce housing. A permanent art collection highlights the cultural legacy of the neighborhood with artwork by 14 local Black artists, most of whom were born and raised in the Central Area, Vulcan says.

Amazon promises its usual array of lower-priced grocery items at the store and free same-day grocery pick-up for Prime members. The grand opening will feature product giveaways, free samples, activities for kids, and a chance to win Amazon gift cards.

The store hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

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