Cheers, fears as Amazon unveils headquarters plan

t’s exciting for some, worrisome for others: The arrival of a massive headquarters of technology giant Amazon in two East Coast communities is certain to bring huge changes.

Amazon announced on Tuesday after a year-long search that it would split its “HQ2” between Arlington, Virginia, outside the US capital, and the Long Island City neighbourhood in the New York borough of Queens.

The $5 billion investment will mean thousands of high-paying jobs in the two locations, but could also strain services and housing in areas with already high living costs.

Some residents were ready to protest the development, but others welcomed Amazon with open arms.

“I’m really glad it’s coming,” said Karla Massey, who works in the Pentagon City neighbourhood of Arlington that is part of the new Amazon headquarters area.

“It’s not just the Amazon jobs. It’s jobs for bartenders, for dry cleaners, all kinds of people, that’s the awesome part,” Masseysaid outside the Pentagon City shopping mall.

Massey said Amazon’s will bring “alive” the area, a collection of office and apartment buildings with scattered shopping and cultural activities.

Jennah Goldman, an Arlington resident who designs custom clothing, was especially pleased to hear the news of her new neighbour.

“It’s exciting because it will bring more people to fill all those highrises they are building,” she said.

But Barbara Vetter, a longtime Virginia resident and government employee, was sceptical.

“I know it’s got a lot of positives, but with the increased traffic and already high cost of living, it’s hard to be optimistic,” she said.

In New York, a similar storyline was playing out in a section of the city in the midst of transformation from its industrial past.

“The place changed so much in the last 10 years, it’s just going to be some part of the neighbourhood,” said Mike Barratt, a Store Manager at Spokesman Cycles in Long Island City who fretted over families’ ability to deal with higher housing costs.

Dozens of luxury high-rise buildings, suitable for senior Amazon executives, had been in the planning well before the company came on the scene, said Jonathan Miller, CEO of the real estate firm Miller Samuel.

Amazon’s arrival could end up “essentially bailing out developers that went ahead despite the excess supply,” he said.