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By David Shepardson and Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc. is investigating alternatives to the installation of part of its new headquarters in New York in case the plan fails because of local opposition, told Reuters on Friday a person informed about this.
The online retailer has not yet acquired any land for the project, which would facilitate the abandonment of its projects, the source said. The Washington Post reported the story earlier Friday.
The informed person said that Amazon was still seeking approval from the New York authorities and had not abandoned the proposal, but was considering potential alternatives in New York.
Earlier, the post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, said Amazon executives had internal discussions to re-evaluate the situation in New York and explore other solutions. He quotes two anonymous people aware of the retailer's thinking.
In a statement on Friday, Amazon said it was working to talk to New Yorkers, but did not ask if it would change plans.
"Our goal is to engage with our new neighbors – small business owners, educators and community leaders," he said. "What it does is create a reservoir of local jobs through the training of the workforce or finance computer courses for thousands of years." students in New York, we work tirelessly to show what kind of neighbor we will be. "
Amazon shares closed down 1.6% on Friday.
In November, Amazon announced plans to create more than 25,000 jobs in two new projects.
The world's largest online retailer plans to spend $ 5 billion on developments in Long Island City, Queens Borough, New York, and Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, DC. He hopes to get more than $ 2 billion to ask for more.
Amazon sent leaflets to Queens residents touting the economic benefits of its expansion in New York.
But some residents of the rapidly changing Long Island City neighborhood, located between East River and the Manhattan skyscrapers, vehemently opposed the Amazon plan. They say they fear overcrowded metro stations, an overcrowded sewage system and rent increases that would drive out long-time residents.
"I would be happy not to have them," said Terri Gloyd, co-owner of LIC Corner Cafe. "I think most people in the neighborhood did not want them here." She added that her neighbors might have better welcomed the prospect of Amazon if the subsidy program had not been so important.
Senator Michael Gianaris, a member of the Queens Parliament, has been appointed to a Senate committee that has the power to block the campus of Amazon, local media reports, including the New York Times.
The chairman of the city council, Corey Johnson, told local radio that he was planning to subsidize Amazon and that the plan was not yet final. Amazon's opposition to unions could be controversial.
US parliamentarian Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district covers parts of Queens and the Bronx, has also criticized Amazon.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a link to the Post's Friday article and said, "Can ordinary people get together and organize effectively to combat the drift of one of the largest companies? of the world? Yes, they can. "
In a sign of opposition, artists sprayed with Amazon's logo painted with the word "AMAZNO" – in the streets near the proposed site.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio support Amazon's plan.
Cuomo defended the deal on Friday as the largest economic development the state has ever won and cited the story of Post.
"If Amazon does not come to New York, it's because of the political opposition." Because it's so ironic for Amazon, after spending a year seducing them, and wooing them all. we win and there is a political opposition. "
WAR OF BID
The second headquarters, called Amazon HQ2, attracted 238 proposals from across North America during a one – year bidding war.
Amazon ended the frenzy by dividing the loot between the two most powerful cities on the east coast of the United States and offering the consolation prize of a 5,000-strong center in Nashville, Tennessee.
At the start of its research last year, Amazon said it was looking for a business-friendly environment. The company said it would receive $ 1.525 billion in performance-based incentives from the state of New York, including an average of $ 48,000 for every job created.
It may also request other tax incentives, such as New York City's relocation and employment badistance program, which offers tax benefits of up to $ 900 million on 12 years. The profit that the company would actually get was not clear.
(Report by Susan Heavey and David Shepardson in Washington, additional report by Jonathan Allen in New York, edited by Nick Zieminski, edited by Susan Thomas, Meredith Mazzilli and Rosalba O & # 39; Brien)
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