Amazon HQ Finalists: New York City Makes The Cut

NEW YORK, NY — New York City is still in the running for what could be one of the biggest economic development prizes in the nation. Amazon on Thursday named the Big Apple one of 20 finalists in the online retail giant's nationwide search for the home of its second headquarters.

The city Economic Development Corporation submitted a proposal in October with four potential locations for Amazon's second home, known as "HQ2." The Seattle-based company says it would need 500,000 square feet of space by 2019 and 8 million square feet in the long term for a $5 billion facility that would create up to 50,000 high-paying jobs.

New York City's was one of 238 bids Amazon received in response to its September request for proposals. The list of finalists also includes nearby cities such as Newark, N.J., Boston and Philadelphia, along with smaller, up-and-coming areas like Nashville and Columbus, Ohio.

Amazon will now start talks with officials in the finalist cities to get more information about their bids and "evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership" before choosing a winner later this year, the firm said in a news release.

"Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough – all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity," Holly Sullivan, an Amazon public policy executive, said in a statement. "Through this process we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation."

New York City's bid argues Amazon could set up shop in one of four neighborhoods where such a hub could thrive: Long Island City in Queens, the "Brooklyn Tech Triangle" in North Brooklyn, the World Trade Center and Midtown West in Manhattan. The proposal offers a total of 26 million square feet of space in a "wide range of building types."

Amazon's request for proposals sought business-friendly cities with populations of at least 1 million and strong transportation systems to host its second headquarters as the internet behemoth continues to expand. The company says its Seattle headquarters added $38 billion to that city's economy from 2010 to 2016.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has aimed to woo Amazon, saying the high-paying jobs and other investments it would bring could be a boon to New York City's economy.

"We’re excited to be one step closer to landing the 50,000 good-paying jobs in Amazon’s HQ2," de Blasio tweeted Thursday. "No city in the world has the talent New York City can offer!"

New York State officials also submitted proposals to Amazon for the Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany areas, but none made the final cut.

Empire State Development, the state's economic development arm, has said it's prepared to offer a generous package of business incentives to Amazon but has declined to reveal what it includes.

By contrast, New Jersey's state Legislature reportedly approved a $5 billion tax-break package last week to attract Amazon to Newark.

Here's the full list of Amazon's HQ2 finalists:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Boston
• Chicago
• Columbus, Ohio
• Dallas
• Denver
• Indianapolis
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Montgomery County, Maryland
• Nashville
• Newark, N.J.
• New York City
• Northern Virginia
• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Toronto
• Washington, D.C.

(Lead image: The Empire State Building is lit in orange in October in a display promoting New York City's bid for Amazon's HQ2. Photo from New York City Economic Development Corporation)