Amazon HQ2 thread

[tdawg]

I never saw Long Island City coming to the forefront. I mean it's a great neighborhood (especially Hunters Point along the river) that has been booming lately but there have got to be massive investments in infrastructure (rail, ferries, schools, sewer) for this to make sense. I live nearby in Astoria and already saw my rent double four years ago. If it's true, build the BQX streetcar, add more ferry routes, and put an LIRR station in Sunnyside.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

This wasn't some "corporate" strategy. This was Jeff Bezos just looking at a map and saying "lets put it 'there' and 'there' "

Not saying I disagree, but how can you be so sure? Would you have said the same if anywhere other than a town in the DC metro and / or NYC was selected? Because if not, that almost suggests that you are predisposed to some sort of bias against those two areas just because they're supposedly held in high regard by Bezos.

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Agreed. Also another odd comment.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by tdawg

there have got to be massive investments in infrastructure (rail, ferries, schools, sewer) for this to make sense.

Not to mention a massive investment in improving / expanding the Vernon / Jackson 7 train stop.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by tdawg

I never saw Long Island City coming to the forefront. I mean it's a great neighborhood (especially Hunters Point along the river) that has been booming lately but there have got to be massive investments in infrastructure (rail, ferries, schools, sewer) for this to make sense. I live nearby in Astoria and already saw my rent double four years ago. If it's true, build the BQX streetcar, add more ferry routes, and put an LIRR station in Sunnyside.

I've been a LIC evangelist for 10 years inside my company so I guess I'm less surprised. It has a lot to offer.

Sunnyside is getting a LIRR station after the ESA is complete in March of 2490. The BQX isn't needed or really even that useful IMO, just get NYCT to run full length trains on the G at a serious headway. All the Court St area stations could use major work however.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

There is probably more foot traffic in CC on an average day than most of downtown Dallas though

This guy.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by k1052

Sunnyside is getting a LIRR station after the ESA is complete in March of 2490.

Cuomo, just last week, announced the Sunnyside station was being fast-tracked. Probably not a coincidence. East Side Access opens in 2022. Not sure if this means Sunnyside could get a station prior to '22.

The station would mean a one-seat commute from anywhere in Long Island, Westchester, and much of CT, because Metro North and LIRR would use the station. I wonder if NJ Transit could be extended one stop for NJ commuters?

[The North One]

What is so bad about Newark that they don't wanna locate there and collect all of New Jersey's incentives? Too many people of color for their liking?

[k1052]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Cuomo, just last week, announced the Sunnyside station was being fast-tracked. Probably not a coincidence. East Side Access opens in 2022. Not sure if this means Sunnyside could get a station prior to '22.

The station would mean a one-seat commute from anywhere in Long Island, Westchester, and much of CT, because Metro North and LIRR would use the station. I wonder if NJ Transit could be extended one stop for NJ commuters?

My faith in the MTA's completion estimates for the ESA...is rather limited

NJT already uses Sunnyside yard to turn back trains so I don't see any major issues other than political to them serving LIC.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by The North One

What is so bad about Newark that they don't wanna locate there and collect all of New Jersey's incentives? Too many people of color for their liking?

NYC polls better than Newark... Even though LIC is less than 20 miles from Newark.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by The North One

What is so bad about Newark that they don't wanna locate there and collect all of New Jersey's incentives? Too many people of color for their liking?

Chris Christie cancelled a second NJ Transit tunnel, so there's probably an issue with getting talent to Newark. It's much easier to commute to LIC from elsewhere in the region than Newark. Also, the young talent mostly lives in Brooklyn, Western Queens and Manhattan, so LIC is basically at the center. And Cornell Tech is right next-door.

Queens is very heavily nonwhite, BTW. A higher proportion of nonwhite than Essex County, NJ (which includes Newark). The ethnic mix is different, though (Essex has a large AA population while Queens is more Asian and Latino).

[The North One]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

via Imgflip Meme Generator

And none for Chicago, bye!


https://makeagif.com/gif/and-none-for-gretchen-weiners-bye-m1CU6-

[Qubert]

Originally Posted by The North One

What is so bad about Newark that they don't wanna locate there and collect all of New Jersey's incentives? Too many people of color for their liking?

Yeah, There's no people of color in Queens.

In a return to seriousness: Almost everyone poo-pooed the idea of it coming to NYC: Taxes, cost, land, etc. Amazon is beyond all that. The fact is that with the right political and community goodies along with Cuomo leading the charge there really was a good a chance as any NYC would be a top contender.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Chris Christie cancelled a second NJ Transit tunnel, so there's probably an issue with getting talent to Newark. It's much easier to commute to LIC from elsewhere in the region than Newark. Also, the young talent mostly lives in Brooklyn, Western Queens and Manhattan, so LIC is basically at the center. And Cornell Tech is right next-door.

Queens is very heavily nonwhite, BTW. A higher proportion of nonwhite than Essex County, NJ (which includes Newark). The ethnic mix is different, though (Essex has a large AA population while Queens is more Asian and Latino).

I honestly think Queens just polled better. The PATH goes between Newark and New York, so I doubt that the tunnel was an issue. And Newark would've been much cheaper than being in NYC.

But yes, Queens County is the second most racially diverse county in the U.S., behind some county in Alaska that nobody has ever heard of.

[The North One]

The point is that Newark is heavily AA, I'm sure their racism had a hand in their decision making if they're seriously looking into the NYC area. There is no other real reason to omit the city.

I don't think Newark has any problem getting young talent to work there, yuppies already move there all the time and it's well connected by metro. Also much better access to airports.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by The North One

The point is that Newark is heavily AA, I'm sure their racism had a hand in their decision making if they're seriously looking into the NYC area. There is no other real reason to omit the city.

I don't think Newark has any problem getting young talent to work there, yuppies already move there all the time and it's well connected by metro. Also much better access to airports.

I doubt it. Newark isn't Detroit, and people from other parts of the country don't think like that. Its demographics are similar to Philadelphia and D.C.

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

Jesus, suburban office park? With two subway stations(not light rail) and an airport RIGHT there and our nations capital literally 12 mins away by subway?

Also, I travel from SW DC to the airport often enough to know there certainly are times with no traffic. And in any case, even with traffic, the drive over the bridge is annoying but nothing catastrophic.

There is also the Metroway bus mostly-BRT corridor which I have not seen any mention of in these many posts on Crystal City, unless I missed it. Metroway runs in dedicated bus only lanes through most of Crystal City and a stretch of dedicated bus lanes in the middle of Rt. 1 on the south end of the Potomac Yard area. The long plan is to build dedicated bus corridor in the middle when the north Potomac Yard area is rebuilt and developed. or that was the plan anyway. Arlington County project page with a map on the Metroway route for those not aware of it: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/crystal-city-potomac-yard-transitway/.

Crystal City also has a VRE commuter rail station which is in the early design and public outreach phase for an expanded station with a new long center platform. If Amazon half-HQ2 lands in CC, the proposals and plans for a second entrance to the CC metro station will likely be advanced and funded. CC is pretty well connected from a transit standpoint, that's for sure.

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by pico44

Crystal City is a 6? Haha, that's hilarious. I understand resisting groupthink, but you don't want to go too far in the other direction.

Ok, what would be a 6 in your mind?

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

Yeah, most areas of Detroit or Dallas are footsteps from an airport, have two subway stations, and are 12 minutes by train from one of the largest centers in the country... haha

No, but some areas are. Those areas are equivalent to Crystal City. You can certainly live in Detroit or Dallas and be near an airport, transit, and major business centers, as in Crystal City.

Reagan National, BTW, is a regional airport, with strict flight limits. There are few flights outside the eastern U.S.

[dimondpark]

Agreed. These 2 arent going to be a true HQ.

https://www.thisisinsider.com/amazon-hq2-two-cities-breaks-promise-analysis-2018-11