Following Amazon’s official announcement on Tuesday that they plan to build one of two headquarters in Long Island City, New York, politicians and residents are wondering what that look like and how it will affect the area.
Here is what we know so far:
Amazon plans to establish a headquarters in Long Island City that will span somewhere between 4 to 8 million square feet.
The ample footage will house somewhere between 25,000 to a possible 40,000 employees in the next ten years.
Amazon’s upcoming building venture in the New York location is expected to cost roughly $3.7 billion with the rest of their $5 billion budget going to their second headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia.
Meanwhile, New York lured Amazon with $1.7 billion in what would be the largest incentive package offered by the state.
- $1.2 billion in Excelsior tax credits
- $505 million in capital grants
- A General Project Plan that allows NY to take control of all the land that is part of Amazon’s project taking property tax off the table for the company
- A promised helipad for founder and CEO Jeff Bezos
Politicians angered by Amazon New York move
The package has angered some of the city’s local politicians like Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“We’ve been getting calls and outreach from Queens residents all day about this. The community’s response? Outrage,” Ocasio-Cortez shared via Twitter.
“Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.”
As for Mayor Bill de Blasio, he believes Amazon’s planned move to New York will pay off when weighing the pros and cons.
“There will be hassles, there will be challenges, but I think we can accommodate them,” de Blasio told reporters last week. “We will have to invest in infrastructure. I think it will be worth it.”
My statement on @amazon choosing Long Island City as the site for their HQ2. pic.twitter.com/eOtuqDmHyN
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) November 13, 2018
Could politicians shake things up for Amazon’s move to New York
As for Michael Gianaris and Jimmy Van Bramer, both of Queens, the senator and councilmen respectively plan to hold an event on Wednesday that says “no to Amazon HQ2 in Long Island City.”
“As elected officials representing Long Island City and its surrounding neighborhoods, we have serious reservations about the reported deal to bring Amazon to LIC,” Gianaris and Van Bramer stated.
“Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong.”
Council member @JimmyVanBramer and I agree this massive subsidy is unacceptable. Rally tomorrow at 11 at the proposed site to fight the Amazon deal pic.twitter.com/PRxZYf7SyG
— Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) November 13, 2018
