Danbury Still Eyes Amazon Despite Lack Of State Support

DANBURY, CT — Without the support of the state, Mayor Mark Bought will still submit a pitch to Amazon in effort to woo the tech giant's HQ2 facility. The city announced Tuesday that Boughton submitted a Request for Proposal on behalf of the city after Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the state would back proposals in Hartford and Stamford.

The city's announcement said it would welcome partnership with the state if Amazon should select Danbury for its new corporate headquarters.

Like Danbury Patch on Facebook, then continue reading below.

“We feel the City of Danbury is the strongest location to service Amazon’s second North American headquarters," Boughton said in a prepared statement. "Danbury has the resources, as we boast a 100-acre site in direct proximity to rail, air, and vehicular modes of transportation. Further, renowned economists
agree that Danbury has the most stable and business-friendly environment in the state of Connecticut. Lastly, and most importantly, our ability to draw from a diverse, educated and multi-talented labor pool puts Danbury at the forefront of this selection process.”

The city turned heads when it made a video pitch to attract the tech giant to the Hat City.

“We felt that with such a high-tech and global company, the only way we could stand out of the fray was to do something truly unique and impactful,” said Boughton in a statement. “We are going to go straight to the top of Amazon with our message so that they know who Danbury is. We have a lot to offer and this video will certainly grab their attention.”

Boughton asked one of Amazon's most popular products, the Echo Dot, where the company should move its headquarters. The machine's automated personal assistant, Alexa, replies "Danbury, Connecticut."

Recently, the city used video as a medium to recruit police officers to work in Danbury. The video received over 100,000 views back in June and garnered positive feedback on Facebook.

Last week, the tech giant announced plans to open HQ2, which it says would bring 50,000 jobs paying over $100,000 annually. It says HQ2 will be a "full equal" to its current home in Seattle, and the company plans to invest over $5 billion in the construction and operation of the new headquarters. (For more neighborhood and city news, subscribe to Danbury Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Read more:

• Connecticut Is Trying To Win Amazon's New Headquarters
• Amazon To Hamden? Mayor Leng Makes The Pitch
• Amazon Seeks 'Business-Friendly' City For Its Second Headquarters

Amazon officials seek a new home with more than one million residents, a business-friendly environment, urban and suburban locations, a close proximity to an international airport, have direct access to mass transit, and be able to expand the headquarters to as much as 8-million square feet in the next decade.

While the city may have recently been named the best small city to do business in Connecticut by Wallethub, Danbury falls short on some items on the Danbury list. Namely, the population, where Amazon seeks a city of over one million residents and one within 45 minutes of an international airport.

However, CBS News reports just 26 U.S. cities fully fit Amazon's criteria, but hundreds are expected to pitch for the company's second global headquarters.

The addition of Amazon's HQ2 in the Hat City would be a welcomed addition for a state in fiscal crisis and one that has lost two of its largest private sector employers in as many years. General Electric elected to jump ship to Boston, leaving its Fairfield home of 42 years.

Additionally, insurance giant Aetna announced plans to move to New York City from Hartford, while still maintaining some operations in the state's capitol. Aetna had been in Hartford since 1853.

Shortly after Amazon began accepting proposals from city officials nationwide, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Gov. Dannel Malloy discussed plans to pitch the state and Hartford as a possible landing spot for the mammoth facility.

Additionally, the greater New Haven area was discussed as a possible landing spot. Joe McGee, a vice president for public policy and programs at the Business Council of Fairfield County told the Hartford Courant that Fairfield and New Haven could also make a strong case, touting its connections to New York City and other shoreline towns.

Hamden has also thrown its name into the ring. Mayor Curt Leng said the corporate giant should consider bringing its headquarters to Hamden, and said the town is already exploring a "couple of potential parcels."

Image: Jessica Hill/ Associated Press.