Palm Beach County is entering the race for Amazon’s second headquarters.
Cities across the U.S. are preparing their proposals after the e-commerce giant announced plans to build another headquarters, which is expected to be a $5 billion investment. Kelly Smallridge, who heads the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, said the county will submit a proposal for Amazon, according to the South Florida Business Journal. Miami-Dade and Broward officials have said they hope to attract Amazon to their counties.
Palm Beach’s advantages include access to three international airports and alternative forms of transportation, Smallridge said. Companies like IBM, the Scripps Research Institute and Carrier Corp. all call Palm Beach County their home.
Low taxes, incentives, proximity to mass transit and “presence and support of a diverse population” are on Amazon’s checklist. The company plans to have phase 1, a building with more than 500,000-square-foot building, completed by 2019. After 2027, its footprint will grow to up to 8 million square feet. Amazon plans to give priority to undeveloped, shovel-ready greenfield sites and infill opportunities, according to the Business Journal.
The Seattle-based company plans to build in a major metropolitan area, within 45 minutes of an airport, near quality universities, and with a population of over 1 million people. Amazon is also looking to target engineers and others in the tech sector. Bids for the second campus are due by Oct. 19.
The HQ2 announcement follows Amazon’s June $13.7 billion bombshell purchase of Whole Foods. [SFBJ] – Katherine Kallergis