RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – In a blog post, Internet giant Amazon declared Thursday that it has decided not to build a headquarters in the New York City metro area. The company also said it would not search for another location.
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” the company said.
“For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
News broke last Friday that Amazon was reconsidering its decision due to political headwinds.
Report: Amazon reconsidering plan to build 25,000-job campus in New York City
The Internet giant was “reconsidering” its plans due to local opposition, according to The Washington Post.
However, in Thursday’s announcement, Amazon noted:
“We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.”
Amazon has committed to 25,000 jobs in suburban Washington and another 5,000 jobs in Nashville.
The news last week immediately prompted questions about whether the Triangle and North Carolina could get a second chance at the project, given that the Raleigh-Durham, area was among the finalists for the project.
David Rhoades of the North Carolina Department of Commerce said at the time that he was “personally unaware” of the Amazon news and would have to check out the Amazon report.
Amazon makes it official: New York, northern Virginia each to land 25,000 jobs
Asked if North Carolina would be interested in talking with Amazon again should the company change its New York plans, Rhoades said that the state “would obviously be interested” in talking with any firm that wanted to expand or locate jobs in North Carolina and explore the “business advantages the state offers any company such as our skilled and talented workforce, rich education resources like our universities and community colleges, and things like our transportation and logistics advantages.”
Immediate reaction in New York was strong.
“Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns that have been raised by many New Yorkers Amazon says you do it our way or not at all, we will not even consider the concerns of New Yorkers – that’s not what a responsible business would do,” said Chelsea Connor, Director of Communications for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union , in a statement.
The decision is a serious blow to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who lobbied intensely to land the campus within city limits.
Critics see the project as an extravagant giveaway to one of the world’s biggest companies and argue it won’t provide much direct benefit to most New Yorkers. Several welcomed the news that Amazon might be rethinking the plan.
But the plan has strong support from the population as a whole.
A Quinnipiac University poll released in December found New York City voters support having an Amazon headquarters, by 57-26 percent. But they were divided on the incentives: 46 percent in favor, 44 percent against.
The Amazon post
The rest of the blog from Amazon follows:
“We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.
“We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.
“We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
“Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
