NEW YORK | Amazon - Long Island City | CANCELED

[Halsted & Villagio]

Amazon itself doesn't go free of some criticism from this debacle. Because they knew coming in there would be some opposition. So what, this is still America. People do get to vouce dissent. It's just weird to let that be a factor, where previously you made a decision. It could be that Amazon just got cold feet, and is just using the NIMBYism as an excuse to back out. And why did it take a week to make a statement after the story initially broke? Just poor handling by Amaxon, but they still look good compared to those foolish politicians

Great answer right here NYguy... mature answer. Yes, NIMBY's are the worst. But Amazon had a responsibility in all of this as well... and tucked tail and ran out of the back-door at opposition they had to know would always be there. There is likely always going to be a voice in opposition in a democracy... in this case, a minority voice at that. You work with it, maneuver around it or with it, but in the end, you forge ahead and overcome it. The fact that Amazon ran so quickly tells me something else was afoot here... something else had them looking to ditch the deal/run and they were just looking for an excuse.

This is not a good look for a one of the richest companies in the world and a company that depends upon the masses/people for its income -- something they have seemingly forgotten. Moreover from a PR standpoint, their actions fit very neatly into the existing narrative (false or not) that this is a selfish, money grubbing, dictatorial company that does not care of people.

In the end, I am sure this thing will still land somewhere on the East Coast or will not happen at all. I tend to think it won't happen at all. Either way, the beast that is NY will be fine with or without Amazon.

Edit: Just saw the Post above after I posted this. Looks like Amazon just plans to essentially grow what they already have inclusive of the 2 new expansions. Somewhere along the line, I wonder if their own internal numbers/economists recommended they do that... or did something else give them cold feet. I doubt we will ever know the real truth.


Hyde Park/Chicago

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by jackster99

I wonder if Brookfield and Silverstein will backtrack on building MW2 and 2WTC on spec now.

I understand Amazon wasn't involved with either project, but the developers might have expected overflow interest from other companies due to Amazon being in the city

I am sure everyone is going to take a pause and reassess the situation.

Originally Posted by Halsted & Villagio

Great answer right here NYguy... mature answer. Yes, NIMBY's are the worst. But Amazon had a responsibility in all of this as well... and tucked tail and ran out of back-door at opposition they had to know would always be there. There is likely always going to be a voice in opposition in a democracy... in this case, a minority voice at that. You work with it, maneuver around it or with it, but in the end, you forge ahead and overcome it.

While the opposition may have been in the minority locally, some very popular people were against them coming in. AOC was tweeting in opposition to the deal, and she has millions of followers on twitter and she was getting hundreds of thousands of likes. I am sure a lot of Amazon employees follow AOC on twitter and there may have been opposition coming in from inside the company based on the narrative that the opposition constructed. There were also people getting bussed in to protest Amazon from all over. I even saw their "no to amazon" booth on 34th street subway station.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by Halsted & Villagio

Great answer right here NYguy... mature answer. Yes, NIMBY's are the worst. But Amazon had a responsibility in all of this as well... and tucked tail and ran out of the back-door at opposition they had to know would always be there. There is likely always going to be a voice in opposition in a democracy... in this case, a minority voice at that. You work with it, maneuver around it or with it, but in the end, you forge ahead and overcome it. The fact that Amazon ran so quickly tells me something else was afoot here... something else had them looking to ditch the deal/run and they were just looking for an excuse.

There were certainly NIMBY groups opposing this project, but the main opposition wasn't based on local NIMBY issues, it was based on national political issues having to do with the tax breaks for the super wealthy and large corporations as well as specific issues concerning Amazon's treatment of their workers.

[NYguy]

Before I have to clean up a lot of this stuff, let me just say there was opposition from both sides, democtats and republicans. This is about the NIMBYs, and their opposition to anything getting built in this city.

Originally Posted by Halsted & Villagio

Amazon had a responsibility in all of this as well... and tucked tail and ran out of back-door at opposition they had to know would always be there. There is likely always going to be a voice in opposition in a democracy... in this case, a minority voice at that. You work with it, maneuver around it or with it, but in the end, you forge ahead and overcome it. The fact that Amazon ran so quickly tells me something else was afoot here... something else had them looking to ditch the deal/run and they were just looking for an excuse.

Yeah, and it's a weak excuse at that. None of the people against it actually had the power to stop it. And what's lost in this is that Amazon could have chosen to put that headquarters somewhere else. They certainly got offered a lot more in incentives. But now they conveniently won't even do that, which makes me suspicious enough to think they maybe just wanted to scale things back. The NIMBYs conveniently presented themselves.

Originally Posted by Gantz

There were also people getting bussed in to protest Amazon from all over. I even saw their "no to amazon" booth on 34th street subway station.

I've been saying that these protesters were from various organizations that do organize to protest. It's what they do. With Amazon gone, they'll find a new boogyman to protest, but really, Amazon should have had the balls to withstand what they even acknowledged was a minority opposition.

As far as the always ridiculous city council goes, their biggest complaint was being left out of the deal. And they were left out with good reason. They're like the relatives you don't invite over when you have company. And speaker Corey Johnson (who I get more annoyed with each day) of course is planning to run for mayor. They should run him back out of town to wherever the hell he came from.

All in all, this is just embarrasing for the city. As I always say, the city has seen good times before, and it has seen bad times. You stock up on the good while you can. But not everybody gets that.

[NYguy]

https://therealdeal.com/2019/02/14/s...-court-square/

Savanna doesn’t have much time to replace Amazon at One Court Square

By Will Parker
February 14, 2019

Citigroup had previously planned to move out of 1 million of its 1.4 million square feet at the building by 2020, but that timeline was accelerated to early 2019 in order to make room for the incoming Amazon.

“In order to accommodate Amazon’s plans to build a headquarters in Long Island City, we had planned to move about 1,500 people at One Court Square to other floors there or to Two Court Square,” a company spokesperson told The Real Deal in a statement. “While these transitional plans may change, our long-term plans to relocate most of our current employees in Long Island City to other New York metropolitan area locations have not changed.”

The bank has been consolidating employees at its headquarters at 388 Greenwich Street, which will eventually hold 12,000 Citigroup workers. Citigroup paid $1.8 billion to reacquire the property from SL Green in 2016.

Savanna, which declined to comment, now has fewer than 10 months to find a replacement for Citi’s space, as well as space given up by the cable company Altice, which was reportedly booted from the building to make room for Amazon. Altice, which plans to move into a 130,000 square feet at another building in the neighborhood, did not return a request for comment.

https://therealdeal.com/2019/02/14/a...-hq2-new-york/

“We are stunned by today’s unfortunate news. Politics and pandering have won out over a once-in-a-generation investment in New York City’s economy, bringing with it tens of thousands of solid middle class jobs,” Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council, said in a statement. In a revised statement, he added, “We will remember which legislators forgot about us and this opportunity.”

He identified Gianaris and City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer and asked, “What’s their plan to create $27 billion in economic activity?”

[sbarn]

What a disaster. Really shocked and disappointed about this news. Both NYC and Amazon lose here in my opinion. Those politicians who opposed this deal should explain their plan to generate 27 billion dollars in tax revenue.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by sbarn

What a disaster. Really shocked and disappointed about this news. Both NYC and Amazon lose here in my opinion. Those politicians who opposed this deal should explain their plan to generate 27 billion dollars in tax revenue.

They really should. You would think that common sense would somehow prevail, but many times it doesn't. This is one of those cases. I think Amazon saw the opposition as a way out, and could have announced this sooner, even after the story initially broke, and their response was "we're trying to show we can be good neighbors". You know how you show you could be a good neighbor? By being a good neighbor. They had a chance to do that. Even the politicians, for all of their huff and puff, would have felt silly when the jobs started rolling in, and people could see real progress. It would have been much harder to criticize when more New Yorkers are actually being put on payrolls, Amazon or otherwise, as a result of the development. But they tried to use it as a stepping stone. Let's fight the big, bad Amazaon, and I'll raise my profile in the process. Fools.

Anyway, there's a lively discussion going on over here...
https://licpost.com/amazon-cancels-p...nd-city-campus



It's a sad day for the city, and should send chills nationally and jumpstart the debate on just how far we are going to let NIMBYs derail any amount of progress. There will never be another proposed economic development of this size in Queens, and maybe Manhattan itself.


I don't think Amazon is going to set up anywhere besides Virginia, but that won't stop others from trying, even locally...


https://www.lohud.com/story/news/loc...ng/2870499002/

Amazon's pullout 'devastating' to Lower Hudson Valley

Amazon's decision to drop its plans to build a second headquarters in Long Island City drew strong reaction from leaders in the Lower Hudson Valley, who had hoped for the region to benefit from the mega project.

"It’s a devastating blow, not only to New York City, but certainly to New York state as a whole," said Mike Oates, CEO of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, which is in the process of merging with Westchester County Association. "It’ll have a big impact on the Hudson Valley and certainly Westchester and Rockland."

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said that 'unlike Long Island City, Rockland County is open for business. We are confident that we can offer all that is needed by Amazon, including airports in adjoining counties and a business-friendly environment."

John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of the Business Council of Westchester, said the council was in the process of setting up a meeting with Amazon executives to market Westchester and its business community.

"It really is a tragedy that we are not going to have the opportunity, to build a strong line of communication with the leaders of Amazon to talk about all the potential Westchester County could offer them and their employees," said Ravitz, noting that he wanted to present the county's different housing stocks and small businesses that might have appealed to Amazon and its employees.

Ravitz added that he was concerned about the broader impact of Amazon's pullout.

"What kind of message does this send to other corporations now that want to look at New York and the downstate region as a potential place to grow?" he said. "Those people who opposed it, now they have to look at the harsh reality."

The local leaders' disappointment and fear were underscored by Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com.

"Now, all of the prospective employees who would have otherwise been hired, all of the small businesses that would have benefited from Amazon’s Queens presence and indeed state and local governments looking forward to tax revenues, as well as the broader community, will miss out from improved growth prospects," Hamrick said.

"This outcome could also prompt other businesses to think twice before setting up shop or expanding in the region."

[NYguy]

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/greg-d...evastating-lic

Business leaders see Amazon's change of course as devastating for LIC
And they plan to hold the political opponents accountable

GREG DAVID
February 14, 2019

I spent Thursday morning in Long Island City talking to business owners who were rallying support for Amazon’s plan to bring its second headquarters to the neighborhood. There is no doubt they believe that a few unrepresentative activists and politicians have badly damaged the neighborhood’s prospects.

Gianna Cerbone has been part of a group of business owners who have been printing posters to put in their shops proclaiming "This business supports Amazon in LIC" and handing out "I Love Amazon'' buttons to like-minded customers. The owner of Manducatis Rustica on Vernon Boulevard has lived her whole life in the neighborhood.

Dr. Angelo Ippolito, a chiropractor in LIC for 18 years, went to the first anti-Amazon rally and didn’t recognize a single person there. He said 95% of his patients support Amazon.

It was the same story at the Community Church of Astoria, Pastor Corwin Mason said his congregation had been almost unanimously behind the company's arrival because of the opportunities it would have brought. It isn’t a surprise since Mason is African-American, a group that backed Amazon 70% to 25%.

"It’s a great thing for LIC," Ippolito said just two hours before news broke of Amazon's reversal. "I have watched the development here since 2001, this would be the ultimate achievement as far as making Long Island City a business location."

Cerbone said that despite the growth in the neighborhood, there simply isn’t enough business activity to sustain the many small businesses like hers. "We need the foot traffic," she said.

The business owners and community leaders I met with this morning have little doubt who's to blame for the collapse of this agreement. They are angry enough that both Gianaris and Van Bramer will be met with fierce opposition when they next face voters.

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by NYguy

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/greg-d...evastating-lic

Business leaders see Amazon's change of course as devastating for LIC
And they plan to hold the political opponents accountable

GREG DAVID
February 14, 2019

One can only hope.

I can't wait to hear the same politicians who killed this deal, complain about the lack of jobs and economic development in their districts in X number of months....

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by yankeesfan1000

I can't wait to hear the same politicians who killed this deal, complain about the lack of jobs and economic development in their districts during in X number of months....

My head is exploding just thinking about that. Some are already trying to shift the blame to Cuomo, but they're fooling nobody.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/ny-s...azon-deal.html

New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris on Friday defended his opposition to Amazon's now-scuttled plan for what would have been a new headquarters in the Queens section of New York City.

"Amazon needs to get ahold of what they mean to communities, and act responsibility," Gianaris said in an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box." "When they come in and take over a community like that, the community dies."

"In Seattle, the local restaurants are dying," he argued. "It's all insular to the campus. They go home at 5 o'clock. No one is having dinner in those restaurants."

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose congressional district includes Long Island City, told CNBC in a later interview on Friday that she's disappointed Amazon pulled out. "It's a terrible loss to the city's economy and jobs for its people."

Maloney, vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee on Capitol Hill, said the $3 billion in subsidies for Amazon would have only materialized if the company kept its promises on job creation and other economic development metrics. Just because Amazon left doesn't means there's an extra $3 billion that can be spent elsewhere, she added. "There is no money if Amazon doesn't come to New York. There's not a pile of money."

Maloney said she hopes the New York City can go back to Amazon to try to get the company to reconsider because the city needs to diversify its economy and technology could be a key driver. "We're overly dependent on business services and financial services."

Too bad there are too many idiots with a microphone who don't live in reality.



And that idiot Corey Johnson..


https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-...llation-2019-2

New York City Council speaker Corey Johnson was not a fan of HQ2 from the start.

In a series of heated city council hearings, he blasted the company for its acceptance of public funds and circumvention of the typical public approvals process.

"I hope this is the start of a conversation about vulture capitalism and where our tax dollars are best spent. I know I'd choose mass transit over helipads any day."

This is the City Council speaker for the entire City of New York. And he not only doesn't get how taxes work, but he's playing the fool on Amazon's proposed helipad. They were going to build and pay for their own helipad, and it was going to be severely restricted by the city.

[NYguy]

https://www.inc.com/guadalupe-gonzal...land-city.html

Slashing Hours and Expansion Plans: New York's Small Businesses Scramble After Amazon Pulls Its HQ2 Plans
The e-commerce giant announced Thursday it's pulling its plan to open a second headquarters in NYC.
The reaction among businesses has been swift and blistering.


By Guadalupe Gonzalez

While activists chafed at the deal, many local business owners were excited by the prospect of several thousand new customers patronizing their businesses, from eateries and coffee shops to art boutiques and bars. That excitement, has now turned to resentment, however, after it became clear Amazon wouldn't be moving forward.

"I'm out cold. I'm angry. I'm so many emotions, I can't even tell you," says Gianna Cerboni-Teoli, founder of Manducatis Rustica, an Italian restaurant on Vernon Boulevard, a few blocks away from where Amazon's new campus would've been. To be clear, she is not upset with Amazon. She has been in contact with the e-commerce giant since January, and even brokered a two-hour long Q&A session last month between local business owners and three Amazon executives to discuss the project.

Cerboni-Teoli is fuming at how local politicians foiled the deal. "They don't realize that they just committed political suicide," she says, referring to state Senator Michael Gianaris, who has been a vocal critic of the Amazon deal.

"It's not even for me," she tells Inc. "It's for those jobs; it's for the people; it's for the learning center. It's so much bigger than myself or my business or anything else," she adds. Amazon had planned to build a 10,000 square-foot learning center within its facilities to train and recruit talent from within the community.

She even tried to help salvage the deal, after reports surfaced last Friday that Amazon was reconsidering its move. She and other business owners launched a petition on Change.org to rally support. They received nearly 4,000 signatures in a week. Meanwhile, a separate petition opposing the deal launched by Gianaris collected roughly 5,500 signatures in three months.

"I asked them to reconsider," says Cerboni-Teoli, adding she spoke on the phone with an Amazon executive after the news broke. "They're not. They can't. They are not going to."

Like Cerboni-Teoli, other area businesses were hopeful the entrée of Amazon would lead to improved sales--and they hatched expansion plans accordingly. Now with the deal off the table, business owners are starting to reconsider.

Elijah Kliger, the founder and CEO of Instavet, chose Long Island City to build his company's first brick-and-mortar animal hospital before Amazon announced its pick for its HQ2. Upon learning of the new headquarters, he opted to lease twice the square footage. Now he's locked into a 12-year lease for a space he's no longer sure he can afford.

"Initially we had budgeted to hire about 25 to 30 people," says Kliger, noting that the plan was to offer a 24-hour service. To make ends meet now, he is cutting down the hours his facility will be open--and that means fewer jobs. "Now we are [hiring] about 10 to 15," he says. "We are going to do what we can to keep our heads up."

People don't realize that there are real world effects to these things.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by NYguy

People don't realize that there are real world effects to these things.

And you don't seem to realize that a lot of the opposition to this deal wasn't economic, it was moral. People are morally opposed to the idea that the richest man of the world and his company would be paying lower tax rates than working class people and small businesses. It's no different than people who support environmental regulations even though those also cost jobs and hurt the economy.

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by NYguy

My head is exploding just thinking about that. Some are already trying to shift the blame to Cuomo, but they're fooling nobody.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/ny-s...azon-deal.html...

This needs to be screamed from the rooftops about Gianaris after his appointment to the position where he could effectively single handedly block this deal :

"The company tried to reach out to Gianaris — but he rejected three invitations to meet, according to a source."

So he complains about the deal that Amazon got, but simultaneously refused to meet with them to try and work something out. Completely and utterly speechless.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

And you don't seem to realize that a lot of the opposition to this deal wasn't economic, it was moral. People are morally opposed to the idea that the richest man of the world and his company would be paying lower tax rates than working class people and small businesses. It's no different than people who support environmental regulations even though those also cost jobs and hurt the economy.

I"m sorry, but I just don't have time for foolishness. I don't even have enough time to tell you how foolish what you just posted is, but let me just tell you that people don't pay bills on being "morally opposed to the idea of the richest man of the world and his company paying a lower tax rate". That's not how city services - police, firemen, parks, transit services, affordble housing subsidies, and the list goes on - get funded. They get funded by real world activities, like the taxes that Amazon was going to generate, the economic activity generated by the 25,000 - 40,000 workers (on the Amazon campus alone) was going to generate around the city. The other businesses that would have thrived as a result.

The opposition was grandstanding and opposition from people who want to be in control. Not one among the city council could win a citywide or statewide election, but they want the authority of those who could. No amount of "moral" opposition to a tax-break should be stronger than a "moral" belief that there should be an opportunity for people to have jobs that can feed and support a family. There was more noise about "gentrification" and "overcrowding" on the subways. Amazon could have came in without any tax breaks, and the opposition would have been the same. So please, don't start trying to lecture me on "moral" opposition.

[NYguy]

https://www.businessinsider.com/amaz...llation-2019-2

Amazon says it will still honor its agreements to assist New York City schools after yanking HQ2

Dennis Green

Amazon is cancelling its HQ2 project for New York, but it isn't abandoning the city.

Though the company is not planning on developing glassy towers in Long Island City, Queens, it is still planning to abide by its commitments to foster education in the region, according to an Amazon spokesperson.

Amazon executives announced the plans during its second hearing with the New York City Council in January.

In the hearing, Amazon pledged to work with more than 130 New York City high schools for the Amazon Future Engineer program. The company said it would partner with local high schools to enable an enhanced consumer science curriculum and scholarships for students.

"Amazon Future Engineer will continue to support the more than 130 schools that are part of our Amazon Future Engineer program," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider on Friday. "This is a national program that we are continuing to grow across the country to provide computer science access to all students."

More uniquely to New York, Amazon said it would also help to develop a certificate program for local colleges CUNY and SUNY. The program is to be focused on cloud-computing technology, and Amazon said it would enable students to reach entry-level jobs in a fast-growing field. Classes will begin in the fall, it said.

Amazon already has over 5,000 employees in New York, and it said it would continue to invest in the city despite the HQ2 pull-out.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Amazon could have came in without any tax breaks, and the opposition would have been the same. So please, don't start trying to lecture me on "moral" opposition.

Even if Amazon had created 25,000 jobs (which seems unlikely) it wouldn't have even been one of the 25 largest employers in NYC. Yet you see little opposition when those other companies build huge new HQs or hire thousands of people. There would always be some opposition to Amazon of course, but if it weren't for the tax breaks it would be far less. Also Amazon's pay practices are an issue to many. NYC has long opposed WallMart for the same reason and Amazon is very similar to WallMart. It's quite clear the opposition was about far more than just gentrification and overcrowding.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

Even if Amazon had created 25,000 jobs (which seems unlikely) it wouldn't have even been one of the 25 largest employers in NYC.

What the hell does that matter to the 25,000 plus jobs and economic growth to the city? And who are you to say what's unlikely? As has been stated many times, the tax breaks were directly tied into the employment goals.

Yet you see little opposition when those other companies build huge new HQs or hire thousands of people.

I don't know what planet or reality you're from or on, but there is always opposition when companies try to build new headquarters in the city, even in areas where there are already large corporate headquarters.

There would always be some opposition to Amazon of course, but if it weren't for the tax breaks it would be far less. Also Amazon's pay practices are an issue to many. NYC has long opposed WallMart for the same reason and Amazon is very similar to WallMart. It's quite clear the opposition was about far more than just gentrification and overcrowding.

You know what, you're too uneducated on this particular issue to be having this discussion with. You obviously don't know what's going on here, and don't care to know.

[The North One]

I think Amazon knows they can't pull off these HQ2 job promises, that's why they pulled out.

[Hudson11]

Originally Posted by The North One

I think Amazon knows they can't pull off these HQ2 job promises, that's why they pulled out.

If they couldn't accomplish it in NYC, how on earth would they in DC? It was the political climate, plain and simple. They didn't want to put up with the politicians, unions, and a vocal minority of opposed citizens. Par for the course in NYC.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by The North One

I think Amazon knows they can't pull off these HQ2 job promises, that's why they pulled out.

They had nothing to lose if they couldn't. We'll see what happens in Virginia. The thing about those job numbers, it wasn't going to be 25,000 jobs and workers dumped on LIC at once. Just like the tax credits they were to receive, it was to take place over a decade and beyond. Remember, the initial goal was 50,000 before the headquarters was split in two. That's why we city different municipalities still trying to get Amazon to reconsider. It would be foolish to walk away from that type of economic development.