Officials in several Massachusetts communities are waiting for Amazon Fresh supermarkets to open their doors, but some locals don't have all the answers as to when that's going to happen.

Talk of Amazon Fresh locations opening in Billerica, Saugus, Westborough, Braintree and Leominster has been ongoing since last year but so far, none have opened in any of those locations. All are mostly built, however.

Furthermore, the Amazon Fresh website lists no existing Massachusetts locations.

More:Is Amazon Fresh coming to Leominster? Here’s what we know so far about the project

"I don't know what's going on, I just know it was planned…There's nothing we know for sure," said Marlies Henderson, chairwoman of the Billerica Planning Board. "The project was completely permitted, so it's in the hands of the applicant (Amazon). The Planning Board hasn't heard anything lately."

Brienne O'Rourke, a spokesperson for the Billerica Building Department, added, "As far as we know, they are still moving in." She noted officials are not sure about the timeline, however.

The Amazon Fresh store is supposed to be at the former Kmart location at the Billerica Mall.

Meanwhile, in Saugus, Planning Board member Jeanette Meredith would like some concrete answers about the Amazon Fresh location on Route 1 as soon as possible.

"Everyone keeps asking about it and we just don't know," Meredith said. "They were supposed to open last fall. Personally — and professionally — I would like to know what is going on. Why wouldn't you want to keep people informed?"

That project was fully permitted in 2021, according to WCVB Channel 5, a Wicked Local media partner.

'No details to share'

Jan. 26, Wicked Local sent an email to Amazon's media relations team conveying some of the questions that various town officials had. But Amazon spokesperson Jessica Martin responded by saying, "At this time, we don’t have any details to share."

When contacted about the same matter in early December, Amazon Fresh spokesperson Alicia Hopkins said, "We do not comment on our future roadmap… We do not have any details to share at this time."

Westborough Town Planner Jim Robbins said he is confident the project will happen in his town, as Amazon already has a big presence there.

Other Amazon-owned locations in Westborough include Amazon Robotics, Amazon Hub Center, Amazon Hub Counter and Columbia Tech Amazon Robotics.

Robbins said the Amazon Fresh project is "completely permitted.

"To my knowledge, they are still going to open, we just can't say exactly when," Robbins said. "The building facade is up. There's no sign yet, but everyone seems to know what it's going to be."

Robbins stressed he is pretty sure that the forthcoming Amazon Fresh location will happen, despite any rumors to the contrary.

"There is no indication that they (Amazon) are slowing down," he said.

Robbins added that a grocery store can typically take up to two years from permitting to opening doors for business.

"It depends, really," he said. "A store with an open floor plan that just needs shelving will take less time than a grocery store that needs to install refrigeration," and other more complex systems.

He said that in theory, "Amazon Fresh grocery stores are much different than conventional grocery stores."

Robbins said he was informed the company is currently working on installing shelving in its Westborough location.

The hours of operation on the website for the Westborough location read "TBA" for every day of the week.

Other Amazon Fresh locations that are supposedly on the way include one in Braintree and another in Leominster. Neither of those has opened either, and like the others, each has been in the process for some time.

A site plan was submitted Jan. 3, 2022, to the Braintree Planning Board for building an Amazon Fresh at 200 Grossman Drive. Another plan was filed to adjust signage at the facility May 5, 2022, but nothing thereafter, according to the Braintree town website.

More:Amazon Fresh, apartments to replace Market Basket

Currently, the Amazon Fresh locations listed on the company's website include those in California, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.

How shopping works at Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh offers a unique way of shopping, according to the company website, describing it as "an online and physical grocery store," offering "low prices on everyday favorites, plus same-day delivery and pickup in select locations for (Amazon) Prime members."

Amazon Fresh grocery stores feature "just-walk-out" technology and "Amazon Dash Carts."

Customers scan their Amazon apps to enter the store. Once inside, customers can add items to a smart cart, which tallies up totals as shopping progresses. And instead of stopping at a cashier to check out, customers again scan the app and the cart charges the total to the customer's Amazon account.

Amazon's voice-activated assistant, Alexa, adds to the technology used in the store. Customers can approach Alexa kiosks throughout the store to ask for item locations or food recommendations.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Mass. officials have questions on unopened Amazon Fresh locations