Amazon HQ2 thread

[Wiz Khalifa]

Pittsburgh sent proposals for around 20 different potential sites.

http://triblive.com/local/monroeville/12...rters-is-monroevilles-bid-to-lure-amazon

This site is the obvious front runner due to it's size (178 acres) and location near the core city neighborhoods. It's also a blank slate currently which would give Amazon more development options.

https://www.hazelwoodgreen.com/

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by Wiz Khalifa

Pittsburgh sent proposals for around 20 different potential sites.

http://triblive.com/local/monroeville/12...rters-is-monroevilles-bid-to-lure-amazon

This site is the obvious front runner due to it's size (178 acres) and location near the core city neighborhoods. It's also a blank slate currently which would give Amazon more development options.

https://www.hazelwoodgreen.com/

Near core city neighborhoods? Looks pretty isolated.

[Pioneer]

If I'm Chicago (and in fact, I am), I'm starting to feel a bit better of my chances.

dense, vibrant urban fabric - check
immense workforce to pull from - check
top-shelf universities from which to funnel top tech, accounting, actuarial, legal, sales and marketing talent - check
deep-dish pizza - check
multiple class A, shovel-ready sites - check
transportation (airport, inter-modal) hub - check
top-notch transit system - half check
affordable - and available - housing stock - check
cultural vitality - check
COL - check
dysfunctional govt.* - check
crime problem* - check

* ignore these

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

Near core city neighborhoods? Looks pretty isolated.

Only a 20-minute bus ride from Downtown.

Note that there's a 23-acre site directly adjacent to Downtown also available for development right now. I actually think a lot of HQ2 would end up being located there if they chose Pittsburgh. It works much better from a transit perspective.

[JManc]

It looks pretty disjointed but actually readily accessible from Squirrel Hill, Oakland and even the South-side area.

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Only a 20-minute bus ride from Downtown.

I guess "near" is a relative term.
Refer to Schuylkill Yards, Philadelphia. *That* is "near" core city neighborhoods.

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by Pioneer

If I'm Chicago (and in fact, I am), I'm starting to feel a bit better of my chances.

dense, vibrant urban fabric - check
immense workforce to pull from - check
top-shelf universities from which to funnel top tech, accounting, actuarial, legal, sales and marketing talent - check
deep-dish pizza - check
multiple class A, shovel-ready sites - check
transportation (airport, inter-modal) hub - check
top-notch transit system - half check
affordable - and available - housing stock - check
cultural vitality - check
COL - check
dysfunctional govt.* - check
crime problem* - check

* ignore these

Philly checks all of these also (except I'm not sure what COL is), even the ones to be ignored. (we have deep dish pizza, of course, but as someone suggested earlier, this can be swapped for cheesesteaks.)
Add another thing that Philly has: East coast proximity - check.

[Pioneer]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

Philly checks all of these also (except I'm not sure what COL is), even the ones to be ignored. (we have deep dish pizza, of course, but as someone suggested earlier, this can be swapped for cheesesteaks.)
Add another thing that Philly has: East coast proximity - check.

COL = cost of living

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by Pioneer

COL = cost of living

Copy. We check that.

[iheartthed]

Funny fake dialogue between the also-rans:

CHRIS: You raise an interesting point, Louisville. In our season premiere, Jeff emphasized the importance of "educated talent" and "global connectivity." But it seems like tax breaks loomed pretty large when it came time to select 20 finalists.

MINNEAPOLIS: Well, my sister St. Paul and I offered him $5 million in incentives. Did any of you promise a lot more than that?

(Camera zooms out to show the other cities rolling their eyes.)

CHARLOTTE: Minneapolis. Sweetie. Wake up and smell the coffee, OK? Half the cities who made the finals offered Jeff more than $1 billion, with a B. Newark promised him $7 billion.

SAN FRANCISCO, dismissively: It isn't going to be Newark.

CHARLOTTE: Of course it's not going to be Newark. But there's a reason Newark is in the finals and Baltimore isn't.

https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/colu.../amazon-unsuccessful-suitors/1045188001/

[10023]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

agreed.

IF high quality urbansim combined with housing affordability is the main factor, then chicago and philly are the two obvious no-brainers, with pittsburgh as the dark horse.

Pittsburgh is really too small.

How affordable is affordable? That's a question. Are just NY and SF too expensive, but DC is still ok? Or do they really need a cheap global city?

[atlwarrior]

I am loving the love from The Seattle Times about Atlanta's Gulch Site.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amid-quest-for-amazon-atlanta-studies-giant-office-complex/

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by atlwarrior

I am loving the love from The Seattle Times about Atlanta's Gulch Site.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amid-quest-for-amazon-atlanta-studies-giant-office-complex/

The story is from the AP.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

Philly checks all of these also (except I'm not sure what COL is), even the ones to be ignored. (we have deep dish pizza, of course, but as someone suggested earlier, this can be swapped for cheesesteaks.)
Add another thing that Philly has: East coast proximity - check.

I would agree except in regards to air links. Phillies air links are pretty piss poor compared to even the likes of an Atlanta, Dallas, or even a Boston. Better than Austin or Indianapolis but still not great.
Not to mention the long air travel times to the West Coast. Still, that may all be rather down the list in terms of priority for Amazon.

It's hard to be better suited to the financial/political NYC/DC nexus than the Philadephia is though so that is one unique advantage is has over others.

[glowrock]

I know I'm generalizing here, as not everyone has been blatantly and continually promoting their own city as the best possible place for Amazon to put their highly tax-incentivized, massively subsidized behemoth of an office complex, but damn, people! Would it be possible to have at least a few less true homer comments in this thread? Pretty please???

Thank you.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[chris08876]

It'll be in the tri-state/East PA. Not many places can meet that 50,000 person quota of talent.

I've heard Philly thrown in the comments, and I think that city, and NY share the best odds. And I know for some it would suck for it to go there, but if we are talking the ability to fill those spots, the winner is there. Philly would draw from the bastion of NJ and Eastern PA along with the core city. If not Philly, NY.

Both would be perfect.

In terms of damn smart talent, one just has to look at where the IVY's are positioned. Along with dozens of other excellent schools. Transit wise, culture wise, the region is bar to none. Access to fortune 500's, connectivity, global power center, popularity in drawing new comers, well... its good at that.



That Northeast Corridor is looking more viable day by day. NY and Philly and D.C. will be within the top 5 choices.

[cabasse]

Originally Posted by glowrock

I know I'm generalizing here, as not everyone has been blatantly and continually promoting their own city as the best possible place for Amazon to put their highly tax-incentivized, massively subsidized behemoth of an office complex, but damn, people! Would it be possible to have at least a few less true homer comments in this thread? Pretty please???

Thank you.

Aaron (Glowrock)

i personally don't think atlanta will get it. there ya go!

[Jasoncw]

After reading the descriptions of Amazon's insanely high turnover, I think Amazon is going to go to an east coast city.

Because they're not really looking for a city/region that can fill the number of jobs they need, they're looking for somewhere that can fill the number of jobs they need over and over every few years. Being on the east coast would put them within hours of a massive number of people they can draw from. The different cities have varying degrees of transit but most of them have transit, but those cities are also connected by transit at the regional level.

So my current guess is Philly, because they're a nice city that's relatively affordable, has most of the rfp things locally, has a good hq site, and is centrally located on the east coast.

DC, Boston, and NYC are too expensive, and even though I don't understand it, Newark has an overwhelmingly negative reputation.

[chris08876]

^^^^

I think it depends on the types of jobs. If we are talking 50,000 where lets say half of those jobs are back office/warehouse related jobs, than many cities outside of the NE could meet that quota.

But by the looks of it, and an average salary of 100k, that will narrow the list further down due to the nature of a candidate receiving that income. I'm not sure what the experience requirement is, but if its mid-level, that could change the odds for some cities.

Philly is a solid choice. 1-2 hours from NY depending on the train departure time. A generally affluent group of counties within its proximity. Cheaper yes. Close to highways, population centers, airports... yes.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by chris08876

It'll be in the tri-state/East PA. Not many places can meet that 50,000 person quota of talent.

Meh. I wouldn't mind if it goes there, but Amazon would just be another drop in the bucket in that corridor. Especially in NYC. If Amazon were to end up anywhere else, it would have a significant economic impact like it did in Seattle.