Amazon's HQ2 Will Bring $15 Billion To NoVa, DC: Report (ICYMI)

Editor's note: This article was originally posted earlier this week.

Northern Virginia and the D.C. area will see a huge impact from Amazon's second headquarters in Crystal City, a new study claims: as much as $15 billion in new economic activity and 62,000 new jobs by 2030.

The study, published late last week by the Virginia Chamber Foundation, claims that Amazon's offices by themselves would bring in $6.4 billion each year between 2019 and 2030 and support 27,928 jobs, but the more widespread impact from spinoff businesses would more than double that figure.

Most of the money will stay in Northern Virginia, although the study predicts that D.C. will benefit as well. The study claims that Virginia could get $1.83 billion in new state tax revenue, which would help offset the more than $800 million in incentives it offered Amazon to land the deal.

Amazon announced it had chosen Crystal City on Nov. 13, beating out 18 other locales who were competing for the prize (D.C. and Montgomery County, Md. included). Amazon opted to split the HQ2 between Crystal City and New York over concerns that it would have difficulty finding so many tech workers in one place.

“We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, in a statement. “These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.”

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The Post said hundreds of workers would probably be moved into 1851 S. Bell Street or 1770 Crystal Drive.

“We are proud that Amazon has selected National Landing for a major new headquarters," said Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol in a statement. National Landing refers to a neighborhood that includes both Crystal City as well as Pentagon City and neighboring Potomac Yard in Alexandria. "This is, above all, a validation of our community’s commitment to sustainability, transit-oriented development, affordable housing and diversity."

The online retail behemoth will invest $2.5 billion and bringing in 25,000 high-paying jobs to the area, occupying 4 million square feet of office space with the opportunity to expand to 8 million square feet over the next 12 years, the statement adds.

“I’m thrilled that our skilled workforce helped persuade Amazon to bring a major new headquarters and its tens of thousands of jobs to Virginia," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said in a statement. "Congratulations are in order to Governors McAuliffe and Northam and the local leaders who worked to ensure that this deal includes investments in our education and transportation infrastructure.”

Northern Virginia was one of 20 areas on the e-commerce giant's short list when it was released. But experts had long focused specifically on Crystal City as a likely landing spot due to its proximity to Reagan National Airport, its highly educated and diverse workforce, the fact that most of it is owned by one developer (JBG), and other factors. The fact that Virginia is considered a business-friendly state reportedly also weighed into the decision.

SEE ALSO:

• Jeff Bezos Says He'll Use 'Intuition' For Amazon HQ2 Decision
• NoVa Surges To No. 1 On Amazon HQ2 Rankings List
• New DC Area Amazon Job Listing Creates HQ2 Buzz

There were other reasons to suspect Crystal City was at the top of the heap. Jeff Bezos already owns the area's newspaper, the Washington Post, as well as D.C.'s largest mansion, and it makes sense he would want to have a significant presence in stone's throw of a Congress that could look to target his company's labor practices, for example.

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