Suburban counties give input into region’s Amazon pitch
County officials in southeastern Pennsylvania have had input into the regional effort to attract Amazon’s second headquarters to the Philadelphia area.
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 have been speaking with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to present Amazon with a regional front.
Cabrey released a letter sent to Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos on Monday pitching the region for the project, dubbed HQ2. 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. Thursday is the deadline for bids to be submitted to the online seller.
“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.”
After discussing it with development and business officials in the county, Kichline said it was determined that Chester County does not have an appropriate site to handle such an enormous project.
One site, on Route 100 near the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange in Uwchlan owned by Vanguard, would be big enough but would not fit with Amazon’s desire for plenty of public transportation, the commissioner said.
“If you look at Amazon’s RFP and their emphasis on transportation, it would be a stretch,” Kichline said.
Instead, the county is approaching the project from a regional perspective, just as they do in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle.
“They don’t have the capability to house 50,000 (new) peo-
ple in Philadelphia, so that means there may be workers who would want to live out here, vendors and suppliers that may want to open up out here,” Kichline said. “This could become a satellite opportunity for us.”
Kichline said Philadelphia seems to be honing in on Schuylkill Yards near the 30th Street Train Station as a top location to present. With the R-5 train line running through it, Chester County could see spillover activity should Amazon choose that site, she said.
Philadelphia, along with Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Austin have done well in the handicapping of what city Amazon might choose for its second headquarters, although dozens have expressed interest. At stake: 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment into a region, which will be expected to provide the company with a generous portion of financial incentives.
“Chester County recognizes that having Amazon’s second headquarters in the Philadelphia region would be a win for the entire region,” Kichline said. “The goal is to get Amazon here in the region – which is why Chester County, along with Bucks County, Montgomery County and Delaware County, is partnering with Philadelphia on a regional application.