Amazon Chooses New York For Its Second Headquarters
Amazon made the announcement that its second headquarters, also known as HQ2, will be split between New York and Virginia.
On Monday, November 12, Amazon announced that they selected two cities to split their Headquarters 2. Crystal City in Arlington of Virginia and Long Island City in New York. Long Island City is part of Queens in New York City. According to the New York Times. each location is estimated to have 25,000 employees. Amazon will also have a smaller facility in Nashville, Tenessee that will have about 5,000 employees.
In New York, Amazon could have major tax benefits. It could receive up to $1.2 billion from New York's Excelsior program, which is a discretionary tax credit.
Reaction to the news of Long Island City being chosen has been mixed. Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio praised Amazon's decision. While newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed the decision, saying that New York City needs to invest in infrastructure, not give tax breaks.
People are also voicing concern about the currently failing Subway system becoming move overcrowded and the price of living in Long Island City increasing. According to the Wall Street Journal, the announcement of Amazon's move to Long Island City has sparked a spike in condos and apartment units selling.