Some cities are getting another look from Amazon as the announcement for where the e-commerce giant will set up its second headquarters looms.
New York City, Chicago, Newark, Miami and the Washington, D.C. area all had recent follow-up visits from Amazon executives, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In New York, the company is reportedly looking at sites in Long Island City and, more broadly, the e-tailer seems to be most interested in locations that are already built into the fabric of the city.
Early in the year, Amazon’s team conducted two-day visits to the 20 shortlisted cities in its global competition for where to build its new headquarters, dubbed “HQ2.” The RFP for HQ2 was released last September and garnered criticism for asking local governments to offer up large tax benefits in exchange for their $5 billion facility that promises to create about 50,000 new jobs.
Last week, The Real Deal reported that Amazon is opening its first fulfillment center in Woodside, Queens after leasing 83,000 square feet from Terreno Realty Corporation. Amazon has said it will announce the location of HQ2 by the end of the year. [WSJ]–Erin Hudson