NEW YORK | Amazon - Long Island City | CANCELED

[chris08876]

That's the spirit. I like this Coumo guy!

Now... we just need him to get involved in all of the projects. Cut the council crap, cut the NIMBYs, and start building.

On a side note, time to start rezoning large swaths of LIC and DoBro. These two nodes will become a lot bigger in the years to come.

[NYguy]

Say what you will about Cuomo, but he's a big booster of New York, and believes in getting stuff done. Too often, deBlasio has that I can "take it or leave it" attitude. No, you just can't rest on NY being a great city, because too often, things change. Always strive to be and do better. As I've said, it won't be a huge blow if they don't land Amazon. But if you've come this far, why not? They've been pushing LIC for decades now. Why let one, lone councilman stand in the way of that?

[NYguy]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj...hq2-1541794255

Landlord, Facing Loss of a Big Tenant, Pins Hopes on Amazon HQ2
Savanna hopes Amazon.com will put some HQ2 operations in its building, formally known as One Court Square, in Long Island City

By Keiko Morris and Craig Karmin
Nov. 9, 2018

The owners of a soaring office tower in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens are in a tough spot. Their best hope out may be Amazon.

Savanna, a New York real-estate investor, faces a looming, million-square-foot hole in One Court Square, the 53-story property that many New Yorkers know best as the tower with the Citi sign staring out across the East River.

The investment firm is in advanced discussions with Amazon.com to lease much or all that vacant space, if the online retail giant decides to put some of its HQ2 operations in New York, according to people familiar with the matter.

If Long Island City is one of the picks, Amazon would need office space in addition to Savanna’s 1.4 million-square-foot building. The retailer is in talks with other firms for buildings and development sites, people familiar with the discussions said.

For Savanna, a deal with Amazon would help make its bet on One Court Square work. Citigroup , the main tenant there since 1989, has indicated it plans to move out most of its employees in 2020, vacating a million square feet. The bank has the option to occupy the remaining 400,000 square feet after 2020 but hasn’t indicated if it will do so, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

[NYguy]

Aerial view of one of the sites under consideration. It would be opposite the new Four Freedoms Park and Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island...


https://www.instagram.com/p/BqBeyDPnTjx/

[NYguy]

I've said that I thought Amazon would benefit another city more with this move, but people need to come of this high horse "we're too good - we don't need you" attitude. New York may be riding high now, but the city has and likely will again fall on hard times.


http://nymag.com/intelligencer/amp/2...s-it-more.html

Why Amazon and Google Chose New York City Instead of a Place That Needs Them More


By Josh Barro

Vox’s Matt Yglesias laments Amazon’s apparent decision to split its planned, exciting “second headquarters” into two boring, large branch offices in two obvious, high-cost markets:

Simply put, while locating large pools of high-salary white collar positions in the New York and DC metro areas makes a ton of sense for Amazon, it doesn’t actually make that much sense for either greater New York City or greater Washington. Amazon’s presence will tend to exacerbate those cities’ crises of housing affordability and overburdened transportation infrastructure. And it makes no sense at all for the United States of America, which urgently needs more economic opportunity in dozens of other metro areas that have a different set of problems.

It’s not just Amazon; shortly after I wrote that nobody calls Google’s huge New York office a “second headquarters,” the Wall Street Journal reported that Google intends to expand its New York presence to 20,000 workers, which means it will rival the size of Amazon’s planned “second head

Certainly, it would be nice for Cleveland if Amazon (or Google) had chosen to locate its second headquarters there. But I disagree that, as Yglesias goes on to vaguely suggest, the federal government ought to explicitly try to push superstar tech companies away from high-cost, high-desirability metros, and into cities with lots of available office space and housing to revitalize.

There are clearly things Amazon and Google think they can do best by doing them in New York and Washington and Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area. If we force or induce them to go elsewhere, what productivity and innovation will be lost in the economy? Probably at least some; otherwise, they wouldn’t choose to locate in places where real estate and labor are so expensive.

[TowerDude]

Maybe this will mean we get the first Supertall office tower outside Manhattan with an Observation Deck ... a truly unique perspective on the city and I'd bet a really big tourist draw.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

Maybe this will mean we get the first Supertall office tower outside Manhattan with an Observation Deck ... a truly unique perspective on the city and I'd bet a really big tourist draw.

A longshot. The city had the FAA do a study a year or two ago for various supertalls around LIC. The result was that towers would be limited to 700 footers (due to La Guardia's proximity). Even the two planned 900 footers were scaled back. However, nothing was said of the waterfront area.

[sbarn]

Interesting to see how this view will change if Amazon arrives.


DSC_0719 by scottbarnholt, on Flickr

[NYguy]

^ It really wasn't that long ago that Citigroup was by far the largest building in that area.



Michael Chow Media





Mitch Waxman

[TowerDude]

Originally Posted by NYguy

A longshot. The city had the FAA do a study a year or two ago for various supertalls around LIC. The result was that towers would be limited to 700 footers (due to La Guardia's proximity). Even the two planned 900 footers were scaled back. However, nothing was said of the waterfront area.

Even something the height of 30 Rock's Observation Deck would make huge money in LIC ...

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

Even something the height of 30 Rock's Observation Deck would make huge money in LIC ...

I think were more likely to see it in DoBro.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

Even something the height of 30 Rock's Observation Deck would make huge money in LIC ...

One of the residential towers in LIC - I forget which - has an observation deck for the residents. But a public observation deck would rely on foot traffic and tourists, something that hasn't exploded in LIC yet.

[NYguy]

Not official announcement, but the politicians are grandstanding at the gate...


https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-e...mazon-hq2-deal

Queens pols decry Amazon HQ2 deal
Local reps slam talks as secretive and likely to yield lavish tax breaks for $800 billion company

DANIEL GEIGER
November 12, 2018

Two Queens politicians lobbed criticism at the secretive efforts by state and city officials to bring Amazon's second headquarters to Long Island City.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and state Sen. Michael Gianaris issued a joint statement Sunday objecting to a potentially huge package of subsides that could be granted to Amazon as well as the lack of community involvement in the blockbuster deal.

"We're hearing that this could be a billion-dollar package of subsidies," Van Bramer told Crain's. "That's ridiculous given all of the infrastructure challenges we have in this area, including schools, open space, parks, sewers and transit. It's also ridiculous given how wealthy and successful Amazon is. I don't think you need to throw a billion dollars at Jeff Bezos."

Van Bramer said that the $1 billion package is a rumor of what Amazon could receive by taking advantage of various benefits.

According to several sources, Amazon is negotiating to develop a campus of buildings for its headquarters on about 20 acres of land surrounding Anable Basin on the Long Island City waterfront. State officials are seeking to create a general project plan to arrange the deal, a structure under which the state can rezone land without city approval. Such a plan would circumvent the typical land-use review process for rezonings, known as Ulurp, which requires the City Council's approval.

The company could receive several incentives as of right, including the Relocation and Employment Assistance Program, which grants $3,000 in annual tax credits to a company for every employee relocated to specific areas of the city for up to 12 years. Amazon could avoid paying the majority of the property taxes that would result from building commercial properties by utilizing the city's Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program. Those two tax breaks are as of right, but the state also could hand Amazon additional discretionary benefits through the Excelsior Jobs Program, which gives breaks to companies for hiring and investing in the state.

Gianaris said the conversations with Amazon so far appeared to be focused on what kinds of benefits could be offered to the company even as its peers in the tech industry have expanded to a similar size without the same subsidies.

"Google just announced it could grow to 20,000 employees in Manhattan, and they're not getting any of this," Gianaris said. "This seems to be a backwards conversation. We're asking how much we should be giving to Amazon when it should also be trying to convince the community why it should be in Long Island City."

From those potential sites on the waterfront...


http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=230686












http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=229273

[BonoboZill4]

Tax breaks for one of the largest companies in human history is definitely leaving a foul taste in my mouth... Always especially odd when supposed liberal/progressive individuals lead these companies but then refuse to put their money where their political mouths are

[chris08876]

Amazon picked NYC as one of the sites. Announcement coming tomorrow per Wall Street Journal.

[NYguy]

That's great. Then we can enter the formal stage of this discussion.

Originally Posted by BonoboZill4

Tax breaks for one of the largest companies in human history is definitely leaving a foul taste in my mouth... Always especially odd when supposed liberal/progressive individuals lead these companies but then refuse to put their money where their political mouths are

Those tax breaks are availble for anyone who wants to move there. Tax breaks are given to wealthy corporations all the time to either retain or bring them to a given location, and even from liberal/progressive administrations. There's nothing new about it. Only this time, it won't be going to a corporation in the already developed and desirable areas of Manhattan. But just so you know, the city hasn't given anything.


https://esd.ny.gov/opportunity-zones





https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-...ers-1542075336

Amazon Chooses New York City and Northern Virginia for Additional Headquarters
E-commerce giant is expected to make announcement on HQ2 cities as soon as Tuesday

By Laura Stevens, Keiko Morris and Katie Honan
Updated Nov. 12, 2018

New York City and Northern Virginia will be the homes for Amazon.com Inc.’s second and third headquarters, according to people familiar with the matter, ending a more than yearlong public contest that started with 238 candidates and ended with a surprise split of its so-called HQ2.

https://www.todayonline.com/world/am...adquarters-wsj

Other cities may also receive major sites as part of Amazon's decision that would end a more-than-year-long contest that started with 238 candidates and ended with a surprise split of its so-called HQ2, WSJ said, citing people familiar with the matter.

[BonoboZill4]

Oh I definitely agree it isn't anything new, it's just seeing it so widely advertised definitely hits one in the face a lot more with how crazy it is. I guess that's the nature of the open market

[chris08876]

We can rest assured that Cuomo will definitely steer this past the council now with this news. Which is great, the state actually saying f u to the NIMBYs.

I'm just wondering what kind of impact we will see on the residential market via this move on a neighborhood level. Magnitude is what I'm wondering. I guess we'll find out when more filings occur within the confines of LIC or Astoria or Greenpoint.

Maybe all of this will act as a catalyst to jump start the Sunnyside Yards project, which could be massive.

[JMKeynes]

I think that Amazon will bring way more jobs to LIC than to CC. People will want to be in NY.

Also, this is going to totally transform LIC!!

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by BonoboZill4

Oh I definitely agree it isn't anything new, it's just seeing it so widely advertised definitely hits one in the face a lot more with how crazy it is. I guess that's the nature of the open market

There were so many cities that offered to host Amazon, and for good reason. I've said earlier that I think it probably would have benefited another city more, but there's no doubt this is a big plus for the city. Also, I think the city could absorb the loss better were Amazon's fortunes to change. And things do change. Remember Sears, which was the largest retailer at one point, built the world's tallest building. They eventually had to leave the building and even now filed for bankruptcy. Who know's what Amazon's fortunes will be years from now. But the job numbers were too much for any municipality or state to pass up, and the economic activity will make whatever breaks they get worth it.

This will mature Long Island City, and could lead to more investment and developments that would make it more of a destination in itself, similar to Manhattan and Brooklyn.



https://nypost.com/2018/11/12/nyc-ex...n-hq-location/

NYC expected to be named new Amazon HQ location

By Rich Calder and Chris Perez
November 12, 2018

After a yearlong search, Amazon is expected to reveal the locations for its two new headquarter buildings on Tuesday — and New York is indeed one of them.

...Mayor de Blasio has voiced his concerns about the project, but believes it will work out in the long run.

“There will be hassles, there will be challenges, but I think we can accommodate them,” he told reporters last week. “We will have to invest in infrastructure. I think it will be worth it.”

De Blasio referred to the Amazon move as “the single biggest economic deal in the history of New York City” while speaking on NY1 Monday.

“We are talking about a number of jobs that would make this company the single largest private employer in the city when it fully plays out,” the mayor said. “And, yeah, it will take work to implement properly and we need the company to work well with the neighborhood, but I want to say to everyone who is looking at this: We have never seen this magnitude of economic progress in terms huge number of jobs and high quality of jobs.”

The official announcement is expected to be made Tuesday by Amazon at a joint press conference with local officials. De Blasio and Cuomo are expected to be there.