BATON ROUGE - Work was already underway as the metro council voted to rezone the Cortana property, allowing Amazon to move forward with its fulfillment center.

A fence is going up to keep people out as demolition begins. Signs on the boarded up doors say it'll happen soon. Workers say possibly as soon as next week.

At City Hall Wednesday, city leaders opened the doors to the future warehouse.

“It's bittersweet. It's extremely bitter to see such a large part of our childhood to go away, but I'm overly excited about the opportunity that is coming to that space and am so glad that there are companies that are willing to invest in our great city,” said Mayor Pro Tem, LaMont Cole.

That investment is great, Amazon paying at least $17 million for the property; planning to turn it into a three-million square foot, five level fulfillment center.

The mayor, endorsing the project, announcing it will bring a big economic impact to the parish.

“This generational project will create 1,000 new jobs for our area residents,” she said.

However, remaining tight-lipped about any further details.

“This is an extremely great opportunity that we'll be embarking on as a city and community and I anticipate more specific details coming to our community in days to come.”

The Dillard’s clearance store will be permanently closed in April.