Amazon Announces New York and Virginia as HQ2 Picks

NY Times ^ | November 13, 2018 | Karen Weise

[C19fan]

Amazon laid out its plans for two of the biggest economic development projects in the country on Tuesday, announcing that it will put major corporate outposts in New York City and Arlington, Va.

The two locations, in Long Island City in Queens and Crystal City in Arlington, just outside of Washington, will eventually house at least 25,000 employees each, the company said in a statement. It also said the new sites would require $5 billion in construction and other investments.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

She isn't really complaining about the jobs. She DOES have a point and, believe it or not, it DOES align with many of the FReeper comments above:

“Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.”

I cannot believe I'm agreeing with a "Democrat Socialist."

Of course, Amazon is worth a tad more than $1 billion. I doubt she knows the difference between million, billion and trillion.

[clintonh8r]

Virginia will now be forever blue. Sad.

[Alberta's Child]

The 29-year-old went on to say: "Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here."

I agree with her on this. She sounds like a populist/nationalist, in fact. LOL.

What REALLY has her concerned, though, is that with Amazon in town she knows damn well that her new boss will not be her constituents, but Jeff Bezos. Welcome to Congress, you naïve dingbat.

[Oldexpat]

My sons company will get forced out of Crystal city by this move. There are already a lot of jobs there. Their lease is up next year.

[zaxtres]

the NY Times has this somewhat right and somewhat wrong. The way I understand this is that the HQ2 will be split between two cities (Nothern VA and NY) and the COE going to Nashville.

[zaxtres]

the NY Times has this somewhat right and somewhat wrong. The way I understand this is that the HQ2 will be split between two cities (Nothern VA and NY) and the COE going to Nashville.

[DesertRhino]

Lol... Queens. All the millenial snowflake HQ types and Amazon execs. They thought they would be skiing outside of Denver on weekends or something like that.

They get Queens and DC. LOL

At least DC makes sense for a CIA front to be close to Langley.

[DesertRhino]

Lol... Queens. All the millenial snowflake HQ types and Amazon execs. They thought they would be skiing outside of Denver on weekends or something like that.

They get Queens and DC. LOL

At least DC makes sense for a CIA front to be close to Langley.

[VietVet876]

How many robots can you fit into a 1,000 square foot storage locker?

[EinNYC]

They get Queens and DC. LOL

Queens is already worried about the infrastructure neglected by a series of mayors not being up to the task of supporting 200,000 more workers traveling to and from Amazon new headquarters. They've chosen a densely populated area very close to Manhattan where parking is a distant dream, commuting by car is a nightmare, and subways and buses are always on the fritz. They worry about Mom & Pop stores being put out of business, too. The thoroughly corrupt sleazebags passing for Queens pols are the main folks happy with Amazon coming. The people who live there, not so much.

[bravo whiskey]

Thank goodness they did not pick commierado.after this disgusting election, the state is already screwed.

[sphinx]

I'm late to this thread, but Crystal City is an interesting choice. And a surprise. The initial Amazon earch parameters included a fairly large tract of buildable open acreage. I guess that slipped out of the picture as thinking progressed, but going to already heavily developed neighborhoods is a considerable bait and switch.

My main concern, if Amazon came to the DC area, was that the company would head out to the perimeter, build another suburban office park campus, and exacerbate sprawl. Glad they didn't do that.

From a DC standpoint, Crystal City/Pentagon City/Potomac Yards is a major commitment to the Orange and Yellow Lines. The commuter roads would be I-395 and U.S. 1, in the heart of one of the nation's worst traffic nightmares. I hope Amazon will discourage driving. It could do this by refusing to pay for parking and restricting the number of parking places provided to employees. If there is a company transit subsidy to employees, it should go impartially to employees regardless of their mode. Employees who live close enough to walk or bike could pocket the money.

Infrastructure improvements will be part of the deal. While I'm opposed to corporate subsidies, improvements to general use infrastructure are appropriate. Metrorail is finally dealing with a huge deferred maintenance problem. That has to stay on track. I presume the proposed Potomac Yards metro stop, which is much needed, will be accelerated. Metrorail needs to increase rush hour capacity and I hope this is part of the deal. Increased park and ride capacity, especially at the more distant suburban metro stations, is also needed. Metro should be doing these things anyhow. If Amazon coming to Crystal City cuts through the bureaucratic and political gridlock, good.

[sphinx]

Correction. The location is on the BLUE and Yellow lines, not the Orange line. I live on Capitol Hill and tend to think of the Blue and Orange lines as interchangeable, which they are through the city. They split in the suburbs. Me bad.

The upper Yellow line runs through some now-gentrifying areas in north and northeastern DC. It currently ends at Fort Totten. I suppose it could be extended. Of the various Metrorail corridors involved, this is the one that would provide direct (i.e., no-transfer) transit from still affordable housing to the Amazon complex. The other ends of the Blue and Yellow lines run through pricier areas.

On the Yellow line, U-Street/Cardozo and Columbia Heights are already major gentrification success stories. Shaw, Petworth and Fort Totten are about to get a lot more interesting. Commuters on Red, Orange and Silver lines can always transfer, but that's a time-consuming hassle. The Blue line will go directly to the Amazon complex, but Blue from the eastside involves a long U-shaped circuit through downtown. There are twelve metro stops on Blue between E'Enfant Plaza and Reagan Airport. Yellow is going to be the hot Amazon commuter line.