Amazon HQ2 thread

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

It's needn't, not "needed."

What a pleasant fellow.

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by The North One

I think don't he has high standards in this case, Crystal city is pretty awful. There's really no sense of traditional urbanism to be found, roads are extremely wide, office buildings built like fortresses. It's a tiny strip of land bound by an airport with a large highway running through the entire thing, it only exists to house workers.

According to Wiki, in 2000 there were over 15k people living on that tiny strip of land. Also, its density is about 12k...not particularly impressive but quite nice for American standards.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by bnk

DC housing prices are already high. I guess heart was more important and housing and urban environments be damned.


https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk...ington-the-second-headquarters-of-amazon

...

The benefits of being chosen as the site of HQ2 are obvious, including at least five billion dollars in local investments. But Washington is already one of the most expensive, segregated, and unequal metropolitan areas in the country, despite—and in part because of—an already large white-collar workforce earning incomes well above the national median. Some fear, too, that with a base in Washington, Amazon might receive more favorable treatment by policymakers. “The only thing in between Amazon and one trillion and two trillion in market cap is regulation,” Scott Galloway, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said at Recode’s Code Commerce conference, in September. “No one is going to regulate the gentleman throwing out the first pitch of the 2019 Washington Nationals season.”

...

If this is really how the world is going to work, now, then why doesn’t every corporation move their HQ to DC? Why even have other cities at all?

Last I checked, members of Congress represent their own districts in their home States, not the people of Washington, DC.

Maybe we need to get rid of the concept of a Capital city? After all, with modern technology, why can’t members of Congress do their jobs from offices in their home State?

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

If this is really how the world is going to work, now, then why doesn’t every corporation move their HQ to DC? Why even have other cities at all?

Last I checked, members of Congress represent their own districts in their home States, not the people of Washington, DC.

Maybe we need to get rid of the concept of a Capital city? After all, with modern technology, why can’t members of Congress do their jobs from offices in their home State?

now that is food for thought.

it looks like congress people have been spending more time in their home districts than they used to:

https://amp.businessinsider.com/members-...le-time-in-washington-as-possible-2016-2

[ATL3K_speaks_thru_me]

Originally Posted by Gordo

You're focusing on revenue, not profits. No one cares about revenue - if they did Walmart would have a similar valuation to Amazon.

Don't hold your head so high either Gordo because you are not correct either. Amazon's stock valuation is based on growth - not profits or revenue. Just sayin'.

[mrnyc]

^ also amazon is more than double walmart. its the walmart of the internet, and then some.

as for the growth of everything else they do, at some point the gubmint will bust the trust, but hq2 in dc will probably head that day off for awhile longer than it would have had it gone elsewhere.

[IrishIllini]

I’m not disappointed in the new HQ being in DC, but I do wish they had gone with a more urban location. The Crystal City location is everything I was hoping to see avoided.

I agree with Crawford...looks like there was never any real interest in anywhere but DC. I wonder how much they’ll scale back on Seattle if they’re outside the Nation’s Capital. I don’t see how this shields them from anti-trust lawsuits. I think Bezos just likes the DC area.

[The North One]

Cities literally wasted millions in courting them and coming up with plans. This should never happen again.

[mhays]

The Seattle real estate world tends to think in terms of Amazon growing more slowly in Seattle, not scaling back.

For example they're starting another office building in Downtown Seattle this week. Demo just finished and a drill rig was parked onsite presumably to start shoring the other day...might have started drilling already. At 400,000 sf, along with other buildings currently underway, I think it'll get them to the 14,000,000 sf range locally, nearing double the size of HQ2.

[mhays]

Originally Posted by Crawford

So HQ2 was a scam, as expected.

Amazon has repotedly chosen Crystal City. Except Crystal City can't hold 5,000 Amazon employees, to say nothing about 50,000 employees. And it isn't urban, and doesn't really fit any of the supposed requirements. It's 1970's squat office buildings on a highway next to an airport, with zero streetlife. Crystal City is perfect for people who hate traditional cities.

So basically this is a big office, not unlike all the other big offices around the country. All a pathetic show to see how much communities will whore themselves.

More conjecture in case the rumor is true:

In conjunction with Pentagon City it looks like quite a bit of developable space. Perhaps the idea is to have everything within a 15-minute walk (or transit ride), much like HQ1.

PS, while DC would attract talent from around the world, I suspect this site would be an attempt to attract mid-career people more than HQ1, which will probably be preferable to 20-somethings.

[mrnyc]

hq2 will be for amazon lobbyists and lawyers.

[LouisVanDerWright]

I love how this is being treated like a done deal yet again because some article with a rumor comes out. Guys the Post even said "they might be having this exactl same conversation with multiple cities" and then someone who is actually involved in the selection process says this:

Originally Posted by bnk

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/03/tech/amazon-hq2-location-tweet/index.html

"Memo to the genius leaking info about Crystal City, VA as #HQ2 selection. You're not doing Crystal City, VA any favors. And stop treating the NDA you signed like a used napkin," tweeted Mike Grella, Amazon's Director of Economic Development.

Crystal City better hope they aren't having the same conversation with other finalists or this little leak might cost them. Like I said if one of the questions they posed to Crystal City is "how would we announce your selection" their response of "by immediately leaking it to the Post" is invariably the wrong answer.


Also where did all this "it's being split between Austin and Crystal City" speculation even come from? I've read nothing to that effect in the media.

[toddguy]

Originally Posted by The North One

Cities literally wasted millions in courting them and coming up with plans. This should never happen again.

This. 200 plus cities whoring themselves out in such a disgraceful way to a trillion dollar company run by the richest man in the world..when he knew all along (his 'gut' has not changed one bit-he knew it was DC). Wonder how many billions they promised him?

Originally Posted by mhays

More conjecture in case the rumor is true:

In conjunction with Pentagon City it looks like quite a bit of developable space. Perhaps the idea is to have everything within a 15-minute walk (or transit ride), much like HQ1.

PS, while DC would attract talent from around the world, I suspect this site would be an attempt to attract mid-career people more than HQ1, which will probably be preferable to 20-somethings.

That (greater) area is relatively huge-especially when you compare it to where they are in Seattle now. I bet with up to 50,000 high paying jobs they would let Bezos remake almost the entire area to whatever design he would like. Especially if they are willing to play with 5 billion dollars and utilize some existing office space.

Now given that it is so close to Reagan International, how tall can they go? I am not familiar with flight paths, etc. there?

I wonder what the condo owners in Crystal City are thinking right now?


*I have to admit I was hoping for Chicago myself, maybe Philly.

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Also where did all this "it's being split between Austin and Crystal City" speculation even come from? I've read nothing to that effect in the media.

CNBC reported that based on one of those "unnamed sources."

[iheartthed]

This seems like a weird thing to leak on a Saturday morning. Was Amazon trying to bury this story? https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/03/reuters-...tial-collapse-in-baltimore-governor.html

[toddguy]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

This seems like a weird thing to leak on a Saturday morning. Was Amazon trying to bury this story? https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/03/reuters-...tial-collapse-in-baltimore-governor.html

Well it was officially hit by a tornado. Not much anyone can do about that. The tornado caused serious damage along the path. This thing just kind of happens and really does not reflect so badly on anyone.

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/11/0...age-in-dundalk-baltimore-mt-airy-friday/

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by toddguy

Well it was officially hit by a tornado. Not much anyone can do about that. The tornado caused serious damage along the path. This thing just kind of happens and really does not reflect so badly on anyone.

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/11/0...age-in-dundalk-baltimore-mt-airy-friday/

Did the workers take shelter during the severe weather outbreak? Amazon has had a lot of issues with conditions in its distribution centers. I would not be surprised if they wanted to divert attention away from the incident at the warehouse.

[10023]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

thats the corporate koolaid candy for attracting millenial techies. yes the future is always bright. the fact is amazon started as a retailer and primarily remains one. 85% of their money is made that way. more if you count prime. yes there is opportunity in logistics, thats their future. yes there is money to be made with their sales data, but amazon is only recently at the top of that if indeed they truly are because there are a lot of players in that particular game. google, fb, axiom, merkel, alliance, etc. are right there with them. just for one example, when someone buys amazon products, what do they use? my spouse’s company has all of that data.

amazon:

Revenue (sales) is an irrelevant metric here. That’s not where the value is. A dollar of retail revenue (where margins are in the low-single digits) is not the same as a dollar of AWS revenue (where margins are perhaps 40-50%).

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by ATL3K_speaks_thru_me

Don't hold your head so high either Gordo because you are not correct either. Amazon's stock valuation is based on growth - not profits or revenue. Just sayin'.

It's based on growth, and in the last few years specifically growth of very high profit lines of business (or lines of business known to be high margin).

[toddguy]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Did the workers take shelter during the severe weather outbreak? Amazon has had a lot of issues with conditions in its distribution centers. I would not be surprised if they wanted to divert attention away from the incident at the warehouse.

I was actually wondering that myself just now. I did not read anything but I will look. Also I am not sure a tornado warning was issued which might explain much. Will look into it.

*Interested also since they are currently building a huge Amazon warehouse for 1,500 employees less than a mile from where I live. And of course this area in general can use those warehouse jobs.