Amazon may have been founded in Seattle, but they have a presence in many countries around the world. Jeff Bezos is looking to expand their empire significantly, adding a second North American headquarters to their portfolio. The company is currently seeking proposals for the new campus, currently referred to as Amazon HQ2, from cities around North America. The hometown of Techaeris HQ (Chicago) is, of course, planning to submit a proposal.
Amazon has made a very public declaration for HQ2, which has lead many to believe one of their main criteria are the sorts of incentives and tax breaks that various locations will offer the retail giant. In this case, though, Amazon may actually provide a good return on investment for their host city. They’ve stated that they’re looking to bring 50,000 jobs to the new campus, and a median salary of over $100,000 USD for those jobs.
The requirements and suggestions outlined by Amazon are pretty clear, but they’ve also suggested that they’d like potential host cities to come up with plans as well — as long as they fit with the general ideas requested. From the general area they prefer even down to the type of land/buildings/construction requirements, Amazon has got it in their requirements.
In choosing the location for HQ2, Amazon has a preference for:
- Metropolitan areas with more than one million people
- A stable and business-friendly environment
- Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent
- Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options
HQ2 could be, but does not have to be:
- An urban or downtown campus
- A similar layout to Amazon’s Seattle campus
- A development-prepped site. We want to encourage states/provinces and communities to think creatively for viable real estate options, while not negatively affecting our preferred timeline
Amazon hopes to start with about 500,000 square feet of office space as early as 2019, with the campus expanding to as big as 8 million-plus sq ft when all is said and done. Amazon expects that construction and expansion could extend to 2027 or even beyond in the right situation. Competition is likely to be fierce, with cities lining up to bring Amazon HQ2 to town. If by chance Chicago does get the nod, you can be sure we’ll try and get a tour of the facilities once they’re up and running.
You can read more about Chicago’s potential bid for HQ2 in the source link below, and you can read Amazon’s RFP (Request for Proposal) in its entirety hosted by the Chicago Tribune.
What do you think about Amazon building a second headquarters? Would you like to see this campus come to your home city? Tell us what you think in the comment section below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-amazon-hq2-0908-biz-20170907-story.html” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Chicago Tribune[/button]
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