Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he doesn't want to see the Amazon project known as "Project Olive" fall apart.

A planned warehouse and distribution center off Long Road on Grand Island could be one of the largest development projects the country ever seen, Poloncarz said.

The proposed project has been contentious with some residents on the island, citing traffic and environmental concerns. Amazon told Spectrum News it will not comment on any projects in New York.

Others say the nearly 4,000,000 square foot facility is too large for the town. However, supporters say it would create a thousand needed jobs and would provide millions of dollars in revenue to the community.

Poloncarz said he’d hate to see it go to another part of the state or country.

"I am very worried that if this project is rejected by Grand Island, they will move elsewhere,” Poloncarz said. “When I say elsewhere, I think they will look outside of Western New York, at a time when thousands and thousands of people have lost jobs due to the impact on the economy due to the pandemic. I do not think we can turn a blind eye to Amazon and the thousands of jobs they are offering."

Earlier this week, the project's developer, Trammell Crow, said the project is on pause, but reiterated it is not dead.