Everyone’s talking about the possibility of Amazon choosing Philadelphia for the site of its east coast headquarters. Does the city of Brotherly Love actually stand a chance?
With bids having been due Thursday for Amazon’s second headquarters, here are the prime questions people in our area might be asking as Philadelphia and other cities seek to lure the online retail giant, writes Howard Gensler for philly.com.
[uam_ad id=”54865″]
Who is Philadelphia competing against nationally? Everyone. Plus Toronto and maybe Mexico.
Who are we competing against locally? Area locales that have expressed public interest in luring HQ2 include Atlantic City, Bayonne, Camden and Newark in New Jersey; Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Delaware County and Chester City, Bristol Township, Bensalem and the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and Wilmington. New Jersey plans to offer $7 billion in tax credits if Amazon moves to Newark and meets its hiring benchmarks. Pennsylvania’s tax break offer may top only $1 billion. Not all of the locations have confirmed their bids, however.
What does Amazon want? For its new HQ, the online behemoth seeks a large metropolitan area, tax breaks, a business-friendly environment, highway infrastructure and a nearby major airport, a mass-transit system, residential areas where people want to live, and more tax breaks. (Play the role of Amazon with our interactive tool and decide where the new HQ should go.)
Who are the leading contenders? According to Moody’s, the front-runners are Austin, Atlanta and Philadelphia. The New York Times predicted Denver, among a final four that also had Boston, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Slate said that “Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, and Philly are probably the most compelling choices” but didn’t think any city ticked all of Amazon’s boxes. The rumor mill has always liked Boston.
To read the complete story click here.
[uam_ad id=”54875″]
