171–180 of 279 posts
Both cities should pull their subsidy packages. Amazon negotiated in bad faith, under false pretenses. The conditions under which any subsidies were offered no longer apply.
What the heck is “National Landing”? I’ve lived in this area for over a decade and that’s the first time I’ve heard the name.
I'm skeptical at the choice of Crystal City. (Sorry, that's where it is, call it what you want.) I think being "urban" mattered a lot to them, and Crystal City has the most opportunity for a significant tenant to move in. But that "opportunity" is there because it's a secondary or tertiary choice for employers. Considering that 70%+ people are commuters, a) there are more desirable locations no matter where you're co…
They could have gone to Dulles and had a blank slate to build on, but they don't think their employees and prospective employees want to live there. It's at least an hour from downtown during rush hour. It's an exurb, and Amazon does not see that as the future.
As a New Yorker, I am super disappointed that they chose Long Island City. There were contenders where this stimulus could have been a paradigm shift. Instead, it's just a drop in the bucket for a city that is already growing recklessly. My vote was for Newark, personally. Plenty of office space; access to NJIT, Rutgers, and Princeton; and good public transit that connects directly into NYC. Bezos and co. could have…
I was really hoping for Raleigh and/or Dallas. Instead, Amazon picked two places where the cost of living is worse than Seattle.
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I am not sure I agree with this assessment. Where are Amazon employees going to live? Probably not out on Queens Boulevard on the 7/E/F/M/R so they'll be taking the train in the opposite direction. If they live on Long Island, they can take LIRR to Hunterspoint Ave (infrequent service, but demand can change that). If they live in New Jersey or in MNR territory, they'll take the train to Manhattan and then take the su…
I might be wrong, but are you suggesting getting to LGA from LIC is ...inconvenient? I think in all of NY there is no relationship between neighborhood and airport that would be better? Not sure about public transport since I would think everybody would take a lyft/uber/taxi from LIC to LGA. It's 10min and cheap.
And when were you taking this magical taxi, 2AM?
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Agreed, Crystal City is a terrible choice if you are trying to attract talent in the DMV. Who wants to make that commute? Not sure why they didn't choose Dulles - more space, new metro infrastructure, Dulles airport access and existing AWS offices and data centers.
>Not sure why they didn't choose Dulles Dulles is no better of a commute for most people in the DMV, especially those that want to live within the DC/Arlington area.
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> Wouldn't you call two new offices that are smaller than the headquarters "satellite offices"? Not quite. Amazon has satellite offices, that employ an order of magnitude fewer employees. At 25k/branch, the term "regional headquarters" can be considered justified. They did game the system though. Feels like they negotiated tax benefits with 50k employees in mind, and kept the same benefits while only giving locations…
They did game the system though. Feels like they negotiated tax benefits with 50k employees in mind, and kept the same benefits while only giving locations 25k each. If that's what happened, that's poor negotiation by the cities. If they made an offer based on employee counts, they could have required employee targets in return for the benefits being offered. And if Amazon refuses to make firm employee count guarante…
If you have your politicians pitching the public on this huge 50k jobs deal, then they’re going to accept fewer jobs in the end rather than lose out altogether. Once a city commits itself to being in the Amazon race, losing is a huge political liability. Cities lose all leverage.
Why do we give Amazon subsidies but not small businesses, who altogether provide over 50% of the jobs in America? The reason, as I understand it, is because Amazon as a single corporate entity provides far more jobs and holds more power. Following that: Wouldn't the small businesses, due to our anti-trust regulations, actually be considered a cartel if they tried to negotiate as a group and gain the same tax advantag…
Entrepreneurship is important for job creation and very much does help cities, but large corporate jobs are generally more stable and pay better.
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Considering Amazon helped pay for the South Lake Union streetcar, I imagine that this announcement will expedite the approvals for and the construction of the BQX street car.
Amazon should pay for putting that underground instead.
Even the city's own, goosed up business case looks poor. The conversation has shifted from "let's fund this with only property taxes" to "let's fund this with public money because this will never pay for itself."
https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20180830/REAL_ESTATE/1...
> Long Island City is a mixed-use community where arts and industry intersect It's mostly empty warehouses, housing projects, and luxury condos. There's very little in terms of culture or even basic needs, like grocery stores. > Long Island City has some of the best transit access in New York City, with 8 subway lines, 13 bus lines, commuter rail, a bike-sharing service, and ferries serving the area Realistically it'…
MOMA PS1 is in LIC. I wouldn't call it culturally devoid.
> Long Island City is a mixed-use community where arts and industry intersect It's mostly empty warehouses, housing projects, and luxury condos. There's very little in terms of culture or even basic needs, like grocery stores. > Long Island City has some of the best transit access in New York City, with 8 subway lines, 13 bus lines, commuter rail, a bike-sharing service, and ferries serving the area Realistically it'…
You just described the current South Lake Union headquarters.