Cities on Amazon Shortlist Look to Next Steps
January 18 2018 - 6:39PM
Dow Jones News
By WSJ Staff
Just as Amazon.com Inc. was publicly announcing the 20 finalists
for its second headquarters Thursday morning, Boston's
economic-development chief, John Barros, heard his cellphone
buzz.
"We would like to move Boston forward in the process so we can
continue to learn more about your community, your talent, and
potential real estate options," emailed Holly Sullivan, the Amazon
executive running the selection process, at 9:04 a.m., shortly
after the company released the shortlist. "Please email me back
with available times for a call so we can discuss next steps."
"We're excited to learn how this thing proceeds," Mr. Barros
said in an interview.
City officials across the country were having similar mornings.
Many mayors took to Twitter to welcome their city's selection.
In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was asked at a press
conference about concerns over affordable housing in the city if
Amazon sets up its second headquarters there. Home prices have
risen in recent years as more people and businesses have moved to
the city.
Whether or not Amazon chooses Atlanta, Mayor Bottoms said, she
plans to work to secure more affordable housing. "Our companies are
worried about it," she said. "It's top of mind for so many
people."
The city, she said, plans to work closely with state officials
to make sure Atlanta is as attractive as it can be to Amazon and
other companies, taking steps that could include an expansion of
the area's mass transit system.
In Chicago, a coalition of city leaders and over a hundred
business executives, including Oscar Munoz, chief executive of
United Airlines and billionaire businesswoman Penny Pritzker, part
of Chicago's committee to recruit Amazon. The committee also
includes Senator Dick Durbin (D, Ill.), Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner,
the president of the Cook County Board and the four legislative
leaders of the Illinois General Assembly in a rare show of
political unity.
Indianapolis assembled a team of 300 people for its first-round
bid, said Maureen Krauss, chief economic development officer at the
Indy Chamber, which led the city's bid.
"When you looked at what the customer was looking for and you
look at the assets we have in the region, we felt that there was a
really strong connection there," Ms. Krauss said. "We are waiting
for specifics from the customer and to see what we can deliver
next."
In Miami, the mayor said in a statement, "There are many
advantages to doing business in Miami, especially since we are one
of only three cities that were selected that has no state income
tax."
In New Jersey, state and local officials have offered a combined
$7 billion in tax incentives to lure Amazon to Newark, a city of
more than 280,000 in the state's northern Essex County. Mayor Ras
Baraka said the city's selection reflected its prime location,
untapped workforce and its revitalization after years of economic
malaise.
"Newark is not the armpit of the East Coast, Newark is an
incredible and beautiful place," Mr. Baraka said. "It is not a bus
stop, it is a destination and people are beginning to see it as a
destination."
And in neighboring New York, Alicia Glen, New York's deputy
mayor for Housing and Economic Development, said she learned from
Twitter on Thursday morning that the city had made the list. City
officials have only had a couple of conversations with Amazon since
they submitted their bid, she said.
"There is no inside track here," Ms. Glen said.
--Jon Kamp in Boston, Shibani Mahtani in Chicago, Arian
Campo-Flores in Miami, Kate King in Newark, Joseph De Avila in New
York contributed to this article.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 18, 2018 18:24 ET (23:24 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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