Something big is happening on Ecorse Road in Van Buren Township, and if you live or own property in this area, it’s worth knowing about.
Stellantis (the parent company behind Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and the Mopar parts brand) has received full approval to build what they’re calling a “Mega-Hub” distribution center right here in our backyard. The facility sits on a 350-acre parcel on Ecorse Road between Denton and Beck Roads, directly across from Willow Run Airport. Construction is already underway, with the facility expected to be operational by early 2027.
Let’s talk about the scale of this thing, because it’s genuinely hard to wrap your head around. The building will measure 2,111,200 square feet. To put that in perspective, the Amazon delivery station on Michigan Avenue in Canton, the one you’ve probably driven past, is roughly 183,000 square feet. The new Stellantis facility is more than 11 times that size. Even Building 11 at the Crossroads Distribution Center here in Van Buren Township, which is already considered a large industrial building at 630,000 square feet, is less than a third of what Stellantis is building.
This is a $388 million investment. That’s not a typo.
The project will consolidate Mopar’s parts distribution operations from four existing facilities (two in Warren, one in Center Line, and one in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), all under one roof here in Van Buren Township. The hub will use AutoStore technology, an automated retrieval system where small robots navigate the warehouse to pull parts and deliver them directly to workers.
Van Buren Township’s Planning Commission approved the preliminary site plan back in June 2025 and gave unanimous final approval on January 28, 2026. The township also approved tax incentives to support the project. Worth noting: this land had been sitting vacant for 30 to 35 years. A long-dormant parcel is finally coming back to life.
On the jobs side, Stellantis has committed to approximately 488 UAW-represented positions at the new facility. It’s worth being transparent here: the four facilities being consolidated currently employ roughly 700 workers across those locations. So while Van Buren Township gains nearly 500 permanent jobs, the broader consolidation picture involves a reduction for workers at the other sites. For our community, though, this represents meaningful, long-term employment activity.
From a real estate standpoint, projects like this matter. When a major employer anchors in a community (especially one bringing nearly 500 permanent, union-represented jobs and $388 million in investment), it creates a baseline of demand for housing in the surrounding area. Workers relocating or commuting to this facility need places to live. That kind of steady employment base generally supports property values and can attract further development around it.
If you own a home near Ecorse Road, Belleville, or the broader Van Buren Township area, this is the type of long-term economic development that tends to reinforce your investment. If you’ve been considering a move into the area, it’s a factor worth factoring into your decision.
If you’d like to talk through what this means for your specific situation, I’m happy to walk through your options.
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