Today, the city commission unanimously approved Amazon.com Services Inc.’s ground lease with Lakeland Linder International Airport for air cargo operations.

The ground lease will allow Amazon to initially lease 47 acres of a 110-acre parcel in the northwest sector to support its operations. Amazon would then be able to expand from the initial site into the adjoining 62 acres of property within the first five years of the ground lease at the prevailing lease rates. The lease would be up to a 50-year lease, and Amazon planes could be in the air by July 2020.

The lease value would be just under $1 million a year for the first five years and would increase to over $1 million for the next five.

Amazon plans to construct a 223,000-square-foot building along with two accessory buildings of up to 60,000 square feet combined. Construction for the Amazon facilities is expected to start on July 3 with an estimated 12-month completion date, according to the city.