Officials Pitched Extra Incentives To Bring Amazon To LIC: Report

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — State officials proposed paying a portion of some employees' salaries in its bid to convince Amazon to open a sprawling campus in Long Island City, according to new documents unearthed by the Wall Street Journal.

Empire State Development officials also offered up an estimated $800 million more in incentives than was previously known in its first formal bid to Amazon in October 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

Amazon and local officials ultimately agreed on a $3 billion package of tax breaks and other incentives to open one of two new headquarters in Long Island City — a deal the company abandoned on Valentine's Day last year amid vocal opposition from some elected officials and residents.

Under the initial proposal, officials pledged to spend $500 million to create a job-training center near Amazon's campus and pay a quarter of some graduates' first-year salaries to help diversify the e-commerce giant's workforce, according to the Journal.

An Empire State Development spokesperson told the Journal that its initial offer was meant to bring Amazon to the negotiating table.

"Throughout the negotiating process, we sharpened our incentive package and ultimately secured a better return on investment for the state and the biggest economic development opportunity in New York’s history," spokesperson Matthew Gorton told the newspaper.

Read the full story in the Wall Street Journal.