David Lichtenstein | Amazon New York

Lichtenstein on the withdrawal of Amazon: "The worst day for New York since September 11"

Development politicians who blocked the agreement for a megacomplex

Lightstone Group's David Lichtenstein said Friday that Amazon's overthrow on its mega New York complex was the "worst day for New York since September 11th."

"Except this time, the terrorists were elected," added the developer in an email to The real dealPoliticians who have strongly criticized the technology giant's agreement with the city for the nearly $ 3 billion in tax relief and government incentives he has received are the source of all these concerns. On Thursday, Amazon cited pressure from local politicians to abandon the Long Island City Campus deal, which was expected to create 25,000 new jobs in New York and, according to some expectations, generate $ 27 billion in tax revenue. dollars over a decade. .

Since November, Amazon had suffered a violent reaction from elected officials, activists and union leaders, who criticized the secrecy of negotiations between society, city and state, and claimed that it was not necessary to cajole the most valuable society in the world. upcoming tax breaks in New York.

Among the most virulent critics of the operation: Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens, who was appointed to a council with a veto over the project; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district is adjacent to the one where the complex would be built; and union leaders of retailers, wholesalers and department stores.

"A number of politicians and local politicians have made it clear that they are opposed to our presence and will not work with us to create the kind of relationships required to go from there." 39; before, "said Amazon in a statement Thursday explaining its decision to abandon the projects. .

Lightstone is a major developer with a $ 3 billion portfolio in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. In Long Island City, Lightstone owns a rental property of 428 rental units located less than three kilometers from where the Amazon campus was to expand.

Lichtenstein is one of the industry figures who have considered losing to the Amazon campus, which, according to the real estate sector, would be a major asset for the residential and commercial markets. "The neighborhood's future will always occur," said Robert Whalen, Halstead's director of leasing in Long Island City, "but Amazon could have speeded up the process." Dave Maundrell, of Citi Habitats, said that without Amazon, "we're back where we were six months ago, the market will go down."

Kathryn Wylde, who heads the New York City Partnership Business Development Group, said: "We have managed to compete, have reached an agreement and spent the last three months emptying our new partner." Street Journal that "for some people opposed to the project, it was a bit of a game".

"They liked being the center of attention and seeing their statements tweeted and retweeted," Pinsky added. "But it's not a game."

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified the district of Ocasio-Cortez. It borders the one where the Amazon campus was about to rise.