Amazon Picks NYC, Crystal City For HQ2

Amazon is expected to announce later Tuesday (November 13) that it chose New York City and Northern Virginia as the homes for its second and third headquarters, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported Amazon will split its second headquarters evenly between Long Island City in New York and Arlington County’s Crystal City in Virginia. Both are located directly across from city centers. Each location is expected to have as many as 25,000 employees, reported the Wall Street Journal. The pending announcement puts to end a more than year-long process to find the next host city for its second headquarters. According to the paper, 238 candidates applied to be home for the second headquarters. The decision to split it between two locations was a surprise to those following the process.

This selection, the Wall Street Journal noted, gives the eCommerce giant a big presence in three coastal hubs that tend to lean left politically even as the White House steps up scrutiny of tech companies. By choosing New York City, Amazon will be head-to-head with rival Google, which is about to expand its presence in the city. It is reportedly adding more office space and 12,000 more workers, doubling the staff in New York City. The paper noted that Amazon could announce other cities have won large projects, although no details have emerged on that front.  As for Crystal City, people involved in the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that the size of Crystal City and its proximity to Washington, Regan National Airport, metro stops, and other transportation modes made it an attractive option. There is the downside of bad traffic, which is notorious in the city and will require more investments. People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that government officials in both cities plan to hold events about the news later Tuesday (November 13).

The final decision does result in a group of cities that spent months trying to woo Amazon only to be left without a clear reward for those efforts. Some cities told the paper the process raised awareness for other economic development deals, while others are hoping they will be tapped by Amazon for other projects, noted the report.