PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[Milksteak]

Here is an article from CNBC:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/18/amazon-n...ates-for-new-headquarters-hq2-to-20.html

This quote annoys me:

"An analysis by CNBC determined that the Charlotte/Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina best matched Amazon's criteria."

Charlotte and Raleigh are 3 hours apart, but they make them sound one in the same...you could literally get to FIVE of the top 20 locations from Philadelphia in under 3 hours:

Montgomery County, Md.
Newark, N.J.
New York City
Northern Virginia
Washington, D.C.

Add a couple more and both Boston and Pittsburgh are in the mix...

Raleigh/Durham barely makes the MSA million population quota, there is no transportation infrastructure to speak of and it is a sea of highways. I'm not shitting on Raleigh, I think it is a nice area...but I would love to know what was analyzed in this analysis.

[El Duderino]

^the cnbc article that explains their rankings is a farce - the author’s grouping of philly and pittsburgh alone shows a complete lack of understanding of real ways to measure the criteria amazon released.

[McBane]

Glad Philly made the cut, but it appears Amazon simply went ahead and cut all the Bensalems. I don't see San Fran or Portland (I don't think anyone considered these cities viable options); but otherwise, all remaining cities are the largest US cities and Toronto - no real surprises here. I must be the only one who doesn't view this cut as newsworthy. Were there any legitimate contenders that got cut?

Like I said, I'm relieved Philly is a finalist but so are all our major competitors - Boston, DC/NOVA, Austin, Atlanta, Denver, and Chicago. I don't feel as if our chances of landing HQ2 increased at all.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by McBane

Glad Philly made the cut, but it appears Amazon simply went ahead and cut all the Bensalems. I don't see San Fran or Portland (I don't think anyone considered these cities viable options); but otherwise, all remaining cities are the largest US cities and Toronto - no real surprises here. I must be the only one who doesn't view this cut as newsworthy. Were there any legitimate contenders that got cut?

The US's 4th and 5th largest cities didn't make the cut either, so... Other trendy selections like Charlotte and hopeful selections like Detroit also got cut.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by McBane

Glad Philly made the cut, but it appears Amazon simply went ahead and cut all the Bensalems. I don't see San Fran or Portland (I don't think anyone considered these cities viable options); but otherwise, all remaining cities are the largest US cities and Toronto - no real surprises here. I must be the only one who doesn't view this cut as newsworthy. Were there any legitimate contenders that got cut?

Like I said, I'm relieved Philly is a finalist but so are all our major competitors - Boston, DC/NOVA, Austin, Atlanta, Denver, and Chicago. I don't feel as if our chances of landing HQ2 increased at all.

Charlotte was a legitimate contender. There are others. I think many of the cities on the current list are not legitimate contenders and are still named only for leverage and incentive plays.

[Parkway]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Charlotte was a legitimate contender. There are others. I think many of the cities on the current list are not legitimate contenders and are still named only for leverage and incentive plays.

Agreed, I think Indianapolis is a prime example. I am a little suprised to see Raleigh but not Charlotte. To me it's definitely the "not like the other" candidate here.

[McBane]

^ I stand corrected. Thanks.

[iheartphilly]

I see Atlanta/Austin as our only real competitors in terms of cost of living expenses/housing/food cost. Seems like the other locations would be equal or more expensive overall. Grade school is a negative for us, but are most big cities. Don't know how Austin would fare on that.

[PhilliesPhan]

The Amazon news doesn't surprise me at all. I don't get how anyone could believe that Philadelphia wouldn't be a finalist in this competition, or how they could believe that cities with less infrastructure would beat us out.

This news makes perfect business sense. Amazon is most likely looking for geographic diversification, which is a typical goal in an enterprise risk management strategy. The Northeast would probably be preferable not only for geographical diversification, but also for business in Europe, Africa, and the more populated regions of Canada. In my opinion, Philly fits the mold of Amazon's HQ2 city better than any other contender. Philly offers a walkable city, extensive transit coverage, multiple transit-accessible sites that can accommodate millions of square feet of office space, an international airport that will be expanding, an established but growing brand, some of the nation's best public and private universities (with even more, such as Princeton and Lehigh, just outside of the CSA), and a growing startup/venture capital scene. All of this comes at a huge cost advantage compared to NYC, Boston, and D.C.

Also, this competition has showed me that Philly needs to make significant changes to the way that it markets itself to businesses. We can no longer rely on the cost-leader strategy: this city has world-class assets that can attract top companies. Combine that with our geographical advantage (middle of the Northeast Corridor, accessible to 60% of Canada, and direct flights across the nation and world), and we could seriously draw some huge companies into this city.

[Skintreesnail]

Philadelphia

Pros: Good transit, large population, and it’s close to New York and Washington, with much lower housing costs.

Cons: Amazon would have to convince workers in those cities that giving up cultural amenities for cheaper housing is a trade worth making.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...or-hq2-here-s-how-20-contenders-stack-up

What cultural amenities will they be giving up?

[ebuilder]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...or-hq2-here-s-how-20-contenders-stack-up

What cultural amenities will they be giving up?

Whoever wrote that probably lives in NYC and is woefully ignorant

[Boku]

Originally Posted by ebuilder

Whoever wrote that probably lives in NYC and is woefully ignorant

I mean, under Atlanta it says: "It's just not that cool."

Austin: "doesn't feel like a major U.S. city."

Christ, this is why people hate New Yorkers.

[iheartphilly]

^
They do feel supreme and arrogant. Kinda of a dog eat dog mentality up there.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Boku

I mean, under Atlanta it says: "It's just not that cool."

Austin: "doesn't feel like a major U.S. city."

Christ, this is why people hate New Yorkers.

I also detect some subtle snubs directed at us:

Now it has narrowed the field to 20 places, including three bids from the Washington D.C., area, where Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has put down roots, as well as proposals from smaller Midwestern cities (Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis) and major population centers (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Dallas).

[JohnIII]

I see hubris here! All the more reason why we should get Amazon!

[ebuilder]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I also detect some subtle snubs directed at us:

Very ignorant- you can love NYC and still be educated about the world outside of Manhattan. You find many of these "business" writers really don't know much and don't spend much time in other parts of the country. Philly is second most populous city on the entire east coast and this person doesn't consider it a "major" city?

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...or-hq2-here-s-how-20-contenders-stack-up

What cultural amenities will they be giving up?

Exactly. Translation: we couldn't think of a single con, so we'll dredge up an outdated stereotype.

[summersm343]

Now Apple is going to build an HQ2 somewhere in the US

Philadelphia absolutely has to make a play for this, along with the Amazon HQ2. Now, Apple is a PERFECT fit for the Navy Yard. Just like Amazon is PERFECT fit for Schuylkill Yards.

LET'S MAKE THEM BOTH HAPPEN!!!!

Read more here:
https://www.curbed.com/2018/1/17/16902190/apple-new-campus-headquarters-jobs

[summersm343]

The Meet Group opens Philly office in bid for talent

New Hope, Pa.-based The Meet Group, the social media conglomerate whose Bucks County HQ is about an hour’s drive from City Hall, opened up a new 5,600-square-foot Center City office.

Since 2016, and until Monday, the company kept a Philly outpost by way of a mid-sized office at WeWork’s first location in Northern Liberties. Per CEO Geoff Cook, the bigger hub will allow the company to tap into a wider pool of tech talent, especially data engineers. Consider it a continuation of the gateway offices trend that many suburban companies have pursued in recent years to cater to city-dwelling millennials.

Currently, the company’s Philly office at 12th and Chestnut holds a team of 12. By year’s end, Cook expects that number to rise to 15 or more.

All told, The Meet Group has 300 employees: 130 in the greater Philly area, about 60 in San Francisco and 100 in Germany as a result of the acquisition of Lovoo.

Read more here:
https://technical.ly/philly/2018/01/17/meet-group-philly-office/

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by summersm343

The Meet Group opens Philly office in bid for talent



Read more here:
https://technical.ly/philly/2018/01/17/meet-group-philly-office/

Anyone know which building on the 1200 block of Chestnut they moved to? The article should really state this.