Philadelphia region bids for huge Amazon project
came from 43 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, three Mexican states and six Canadian provinces. In a tweet, the company said it was “excited to review each of them.”
At least seven of those proposals came from Pennsylvania, according to a report from Keystone Edge, a pro-Pennsylvania online publication that includes partners like Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, Pennsylvania Economic Development Association and Team Pennsylvania.
In an article late last month, it looked at the state’s contestants. The state’s big cities — Pittsburgh and Philadelphia — each mounted a bid. So did the Lehigh Valley, South Central Pennsylvania-Harrisburg, Northeast Pennsylvania, Delaware County, even tiny Bensalem Township.
Without taking sides, the state threw its support behind the Pennsylvania bids, rounding up political support and launching an Amazon in PA website that touts the commonwealth’s location, workforce, education, infrastructure, quality of life and other advantages. It also noted that Amazon already has a presence in Pennsylvania, with 13 large fulfillment centers around the state employing thousands.
According to public information, the proposed HQ2 sites vary widely. Pittsburgh and Lehigh Valley have not publicly identified their specific locations. Philadelphia has put forward three options: uCitySquare and Schuylkill Yards, both in West Philadelphia’s University City, and The Navy Yard in southernmost Philadelphia. Harrisburg is proposing the former Harrisburg State Hospital that features 147 acres of developable land. Northeast Pennsylvania assembled a list of six possible sites all near I-81 in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe and Schuylkill counties. Delaware County proffered a Delaware waterfront site in Chester City and open land in Middletown Township. Bensalem’s proposed site is mostly undeveloped riverfront land along the Delaware.
Suburban county officials in southeastern Pennsylvania had input into the regional effort.
Chester County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Michelle Kichline said the counties were contacted by Matt Cabrey, executive director of Select Greater Philadelphia Council, asking them to be part of a regional response to Amazon’s Request for Proposal.
Kichline and other county officials in the area also spoke with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to present Amazon with a regional front.
Cabrey released a letter sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pitching the region for the project. It was signed by political leaders in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties as well as representatives of counties in southern New Jersey and northern Delaware.
“As leaders of our respective counties across Greater Philadelphia, we encourage you and your team to establish Amazon HQ2 within our collective community,” the letter to Bezos read. “The collaborative process we have engaged in as we have reviewed the criteria for this project has enhanced even more how we work in unison as a dynamic, diverse, and interconnected neighborhood made up of 11 counties across three states. While several responses from our region to the Amazon HQ2 RFP may be submitted to your team for consideration, please know that we each will support completely the site(s) within our 11-county region of northern Delaware, southern New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania that you and your team determine is the best fit for HQ2. As a community, we are excited to showcase for you the creative, innovative, and distinctive assets that make Greater Philadelphia the perfect place for Amazon HQ2.”
Philadelphia followed up by sending representatives to Seattle to meet with Amazon officials and by taking out advertisements on Seattle buses.