The Washington Post cited “unnamed sources” who said e-commerce giant Amazon has been in “advanced” talks about the possibility of opening its second headquarters in Crystal City, a residential and business area strategically positioned south of the nation’s capital in Arlington, Virginia.
Amazon, with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, announced last year it was looking for a site for its 2nd headquarters in North America, with plans on bringing as many as 50,000 new jobs. Many states and cities in the U.S. and Canada threw their hats into the ring, offering Amazon millions in tax incentives.
The Washington metropolitan area, along with Montgomery County, Maryland has long been considered a top contender for the headquarters site. Company founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos has close ties to the area. He is the owner of the Washington Post and has a home in the area.
Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C. Office buildings, and high-rises are interconnected by underground corridors so that travel between stores, offices, and residences is possible without ever going above ground – meaning that a large part is actually an underground city.
Crystal City’s population is about 16, 500 at the last census, however over 60,000 people commute to work there every day, using the Washington Metro Blue and Yellow Lines, and the Virginia Railway Express commuter train system.
Amazon expects to deliver the 50,000 jobs over a decade and invest $5 million. The initial move for the company would be small, with several hundred employees likely setting up shop at JBG Smith Properties’ 1851 S. Bell St. and 1770 Crystal Drive if Amazon selects Crystal City, according to The Washington Business Journal.
Amazon has spent the last year crunching the numbers after the short-list of locations came out. Bezos said last week during an interview in New York that intuition would also play a role.
Memo to the genius leaking info about Crystal City, VA as #HQ2 selection. You’re not doing Crystal City, VA any favors. And stop treating the NDA you signed like a used napkin. November 3, 2018
“Ultimately the decision will be made with intuition after gathering and studying a lot of data — for a decision like that, as far as I know, the best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data but then you make the decision with your heart,” Bezos told journalist Walter Isaacson during a 45-minute discussion hosted by global nonprofit First.
Sources have told CNBC the final decision, which will be made before the end of the year, may come down to Crystal City or Austin, Texas – meaning it’s not over until it’s over.
Actually, when the news broke, Mike Grella, Amazon’s director of economic development, posted on Twitter, “Memo to the genius leaking info about Crystal City, VA as #HQ2 selection. You’re not doing Crystal City, VA any favors.”
