Amazon had big New York City dreams a short time ago when they planned to build a second headquarters in New York City. Amazon faced backlash by residents and local lawmakers who had heavy concerns of gentrification to a region that is already facing the same issue.
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” Amazon wrote in a statement this morning.
You would think Amazon would research another location for HQ2 but Amazon said it is canceling all plans because a “number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence.” Instead, Amazon will move forward with its original plan to open major campuses in Northern Virginia and Nashville.
Amazons sneaky motives backfired in the biggest way; the secret move to Queens was set in motion without input from local lawmakers. This caused almost immediate backlash largely due to outrageous concessions, which included up to $1.5 billion in incentives in exchange for creating 25,000 jobs. Lawmakers had concerns that these jobs were very unlikely to go to local Queens and New York City residents but attract outside talent who would move in and drive up costs. In return pushing out long-time residents. The news of
The initial backlash has only gotten worst since it was first announced in November. In recent weeks, lawmakers have described Amazon as uncaring, insensitive and generally a bad cultural fit for New York.
Below is the Full Statement from Amazon:
Update on plans for New York City headquarters
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.
We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.
We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.
We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.”
