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In the contest to win the second home of Amazon, it seems that Boston will rank second.
The e-commerce giant is in "advanced talks" with officials in Crystal City, Virginia, right next to Washington, DC, for the installation of a huge second seat on-site , reported Saturday the Washington Post.
It is possible that the company is in similar talks with other cities. But many observant observers of the Amazon raffle view metropolitan Washington as one of the greatest economic development awards in recent history, especially since Amazon's founder and president, Jeff Bezos, owns the property. Washington Post and owns a large residence in Washington.
Boston was considered a serious candidate after Amazon's launch of the so-called HQ2 search in September 2017, thanks to the universities, the technological economy and the region's skilled workforce. Local economic development and state officials have been working hard on the project, focusing on the Suffolk Downs in East Boston and the sites along the Orange Line between North Station and Assembly Row in Somerville. They hosted an Amazon delegation in March.
But discussions have cooled in recent months. The HQ2 research team of the company has not
visit Boston this fall because they would have several other cities on the list. Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash said Saturday that his office had not recently been in contact with Amazon.
Ash said, however, that the state was discussing "other opportunities" with Amazon, a sign that the company could expand its already considerable presence here. The retail giant employs thousands of people in offices in Boston and Cambridge and at a robotic center in North Reading. In May, Amazon announced that it would occupy a whole new building – separate from HQ2 – in the seaport, with 2,000 employees, as well as an option for a second building with 2,000 other workers.
Nevertheless, there are signs that the big price of QG2 – with nearly 50,000 jobs – is moving elsewhere.
Quoting "public and private sector officials," he said, Amazon has focused on Crystal City, a section of Arlington located near the Reagan International Airport and Pentagon. A major owner has removed several properties from the rental market, anticipating Amazon's desire to be in a location next year, Post reported.
The company reportedly discussed the details of the opening with local authorities, including the timing of an announcement later in November. However, CNBC announced on Saturday that Amazon was still considering Austin, Texas, and could split its seat between the two seats.
A spokesman for Amazon declined to comment Saturday, saying that only the company was waiting to announce its decision by the end of the year.
But after the publication of the Post's article Saturday, Mike Grella, director of Amazon's economic development, posted this on Twitter: "Memo to the Genie Revealing Information on Crystal City, VA, as Selection # HQ2 . You do not do favors in Crystal City, VA. And stop processing the NDA that you signed up as a used napkin, "referring to non-disclosure agreements by Amazon, forcing its finalists to sign.
A copy of the NDA from Amazon obtained by the Globe through public archives asks officials to disclose the "non-public information" that the company shares, although this does not preclude the discussion of local details, such as sites potential.
Anyway, there is a small sign suggesting that Boston remains in the hunt.
Boston's head of economic development, John Barros, said his office was in touch with Amazon's QG2 research team, but that he had not heard anything new these last weeks. According to real estate sources, Amazon has not visited the big blocks of offices in Boston available for rent next year. And while Bezos was spotted having dinner at Kendall Place last weekend, he also said at an event on Thursday that he would follow his "heart" by choosing the second home of 39; Amazon.
You can contact Tim Logan at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @bytimlogan. Jon Chesto can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jonchesto.
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