Amazon closes in on HQ2 decision
New York, Dallas and Virginia city said to be among firm’s top choices
Amazon’s quest to build a second corporate headquarters, dubbed HQ2, may be on its way toward reaching a conclusion.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Seattle-based Amazon is said to be involved in “late-stage talks” with officials from a small group of locations, including New York, Dallas, and Crystal City, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Amazon announced more than a year ago its intention to build a second headquarters office, and by January had narrowed its choices down to a list of 20 finalists. Amazon said its new headquarters would employ up to 50,000 workers and bring in as much as $5 billion in investments over 20 years.
No Bay Area locations made it to Amazon’s finalist list. San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Richmond and Concord had put in a joint headquarters bid, while San Jose had put in a bid of its own. A Los Angeles-area bid was the only one from California to make Amazon’s shortlist of HQ2 locations.
The Journal reported that negotiations between Amazon and the New York, Dallas and Virginia locations are at various phases due to matters such as tax incentives that Amazon is seeking in exchange for building its new facilities.
Amazon has remained largely mum about the progress of its HQ2 search, and had said only that it will decide on the new headquarters location by the end of this year.