Best Spot For Amazon's HQ2 In Chicago? Mayor Rahm Emanuel Wants Suggestions

CHICAGO, IL — Mayor Rahm Emanuel is looking for suggestions for potential sites for Amazon's HQ2 location, which the Chicago is trying to secure from the tech giant. City and state officials, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, traveled to Seattle this week to visit and tour Amazon's main headquarters. Chicago is one of a handful cities trying to woo the internet retailer and convince Amazon to build its second home in their community.

"We're looking for partners to put their best foot forward and help us determine which sites have the best potential to drive growth for Amazon and Chicago," Emanuel said in a statement Wednesday. “While we have many sites that meet Amazon’s requirements, there is only one city that offers unmatched potential for future success — Chicago.”

Potential candidates must have sites that are at least 500,000 square feet with the ability to expand to 8 million square feet over the next 10 years, according to a release from the City of Chicago. Sites in the running also must have access to public transit, be within 30 miles of a population center and at least 45 minutes from O'Hare International Airport, the release stated. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Amazon’s primary Seattle headquarters is 8.1 million square feet and includes 33 buildings. It employs 40,000 people.

HQ2 is expected create 50,000 jobs in the area that's eventually chosen. The company also plans to invest about $5 billion into building and running the headquarters. Other cities vying for HQ2 include Dallas, Atlanta and St. Louis.

“Amazon HQ2 has the potential to create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment in Chicago,” Department of Planning and Development Commissioner David L. Reifman said in a statement. “The process will help ensure that everyone who has one or more sites that meet the high standards of the Amazon RFP will be considered for the City’s formal response.”

RELATED: Chicago, Amazon Talk About 2nd Headquarters In City

And what are Chicago's chances of landing Amazon HQ2? Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Intersect Illinois, a state business and economic development group, called the selection process "a real free-for-all," but he's optimistic that the city could come out on top, according to Crain's Chicago Business.

"I think things look good," he told Crain's in a phone interview this week. "Chicago has a lot to offer. … The good news is that we have all the things they're looking for. Chicago certainly is a top competitor."

WATCH: Amazon is building a second headquarters, HQ2, outside of Seattle, and Chicago and a handful of other cities are in the running:

Property owners with sites they want to nominate can do so with the City of Chicago's request for nominations form. Qualified applicants must have a site that meets Amazon's requirements, as well as the experience and drive to excute the project. The city also is encouraging applicants to partner with each other to nominate sites.

RELATED: Amazon Hiring 2,000 In Illinois

If Amazon chooses Chicago for the site for for HQ2, it will be part of the company's continued expansion in the state. Amazon already has an office in downtown Chicago with 200 employees, and the size of that facility has recently doubled. The online retailer also opened a bricks-and-mortar store in the Lake View neighborhood last year, and it has a pickup center on the University of Illinois-Chicago campus.

Outside of Chicago, the company has fulfillment centers in Joliet, Romeoville and Aurora. In May, Amazon announced plans to hire 2,000 full-time employees in Illinois over the next 14 months, which would bring its total workforce in the state to about 7,000 people.

The deadline to nominate potential sites is Sept. 27, and applicants can find the nomination form at the City of Chicago's website.

Image via Amazon

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