The Nation Courts Amazon for HQ2

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 02:02 PM

It's getting plopped in Fairfax County and this exercise of The Bachelor Local Government Shakedown Edition has been to make sure they throw enough money at Bezos. They have a massive server farm out around Dulles and they moved a few thousand AWS corporate jobs to Fairfax over the past couple years. All their higher-margin growth is in the AWS stuff these days.

That's also why they have announced they have given a rose to Montgomery County and DC. Gotta make sure Fairfax senses the competition so that they'll take it in the ass.

**acostiga** · 01-18-2018, 02:05 PM

it wouldn't shock me to see amazon pick pittsburgh, for a variety of reasons, after having followed the whole twisted saga (from a biased, local perspective). beyond the pool of talent here surrounding carnegie mellon/pitt/etc, and all of the tech firms building presence here (google, uber, argon, etc), there are some other underlying factors.

the chance to swoop in and contribute to the renaissance of this city, which has been dubbed the "paris of appalachia" must be somewhat attractive to amazon from a public relations standpoint. shockingly, coal has not magically "come back" and reinvigorated the region's economy. but we have rebuilt to some degree through education and medical technologies, and now tech. here in downtown pittsburgh, i can dine on foie gras while sipping a pint of local microbrew or a cocktail made with locally distilled booze. the sky here isn't choked with toxic clouds of smoke (anymore)- but if i were to drive not too far in just about any direction it becomes pennsyltucky or west-by-god-virginny really quick, and there are lots of very strange rural curiosities. there's already a pretty pronounced divide between those who benefit from this new economy and those who voted trump.

i've read about a few connections between this area and the highest levels of management, which could draw pittsburgh into deeper consideration. the cost of living here is comparatively low, and i think we have been recognized more than a few times for having a high quality of life (at least for folks who aren't in love with deep powder). as my wife and i have bought a condo that's close to downtown proper, i'd hope that my place would appreciate enough that i could convince the wife cash out so that we could move someplace where we'd have a yard.

for sure, the city and region seem to have proposed some crazy incentives. we just extended incentives to shell that could end up well over a billion dollars to build a chemical plant in western pa.

our airport is way, way bigger than it needs to be right now- because it was originally built as a hub for us airways. lots of underutilized capacity there, i believe, and we also have a separate airport that's for private jets and whatnot but has a long enough runway to handle large aircraft. tangentally, there has been talk of a regional high speed transit line- whatever that crazy elon musk's firm has been developing. hyperloop? travel from dc to chicago, via pittsburgh, at crazy-fast speeds. if you ask me, hyperloop sounds like those t-shirts that i had back in the day and changed colors when you sweat while wearing 'em. but if i could get a cheezborger cheezborger for dinner and still be home before the daily show that'd be awesome.

effect on things here if we were awarded the hq2 in pittsburgh? i think the divide between the older generations and others would widen. gentrification would go from dangerously quick into ludicrous speed. when the steel mills closed, it kind of wiped out entire sections of the population. someone told me that's why the steelers have so many fans all over the country- they left here to look for work elsewhere. some stayed and adapted, others never did- so we have neighborhoods where one house is a crusty old guy that hasn't updated the steelers banner on his front porch since the 80's right next to a sleek renovation that looks like a spaceship, with a german sedan parked out front.

me? dunno what i really think. i wouldn't bet on pittsburgh- but wouldn't be shocked if they do end up choosing us for hq2.

edit- we have recently put in lots of bike lanes. it's all 'bout those bike lanes.

**dunfree** · 01-18-2018, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by aragon

How so?

they are the only bid without a huge helping of tax incentives in the remaining 20, and it's always funny to see politicians running around for nothing. Given they had 238 proposals submitted it would appear there are lots of Spokanes out there.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 02:17 PM

Plus Toronto would blow Trump & Co.'s minds, so that would be fun to see.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Sirshredalot

That's also why they have announced they have given a rose to Montgomery County and DC. Gotta make sure Fairfax senses the competition so that they'll take it in the ass.

Makes good sense.

**::: :::** · 01-18-2018, 02:21 PM

maybe they go with a conservative center like Indy
Seattle libs vs Indy Conservatives to spice up the interoffice competition for productivity

**AK47bp** · 01-18-2018, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by acostiga

it wouldn't shock me to see amazon pick pittsburgh, for a variety of reasons, after having followed the whole twisted saga (from a biased, local perspective). beyond the pool of talent here surrounding carnegie mellon/pitt/etc, and all of the tech firms building presence here (google, uber, argon, etc), there are some other underlying factors.

the chance to swoop in and contribute to the renaissance of this city, which has been dubbed the "paris of appalachia" must be somewhat attractive to amazon from a public relations standpoint. shockingly, coal has not magically "come back" and reinvigorated the region's economy. but we have rebuilt to some degree through education and medical technologies, and now tech. here in downtown pittsburgh, i can dine on foie gras while sipping a pint of local microbrew or a cocktail made with locally distilled booze. the sky here isn't choked with toxic clouds of smoke (anymore)- but if i were to drive not too far in just about any direction it becomes pennsyltucky or west-by-god-virginny really quick, and there are lots of very strange rural curiosities. there's already a pretty pronounced divide between those who benefit from this new economy and those who voted trump.

i've read about a few connections between this area and the highest levels of management, which could draw pittsburgh into deeper consideration. the cost of living here is comparatively low, and i think we have been recognized more than a few times for having a high quality of life (at least for folks who aren't in love with deep powder). as my wife and i have bought a condo that's close to downtown proper, i'd hope that my place would appreciate enough that i could convince the wife cash out so that we could move someplace where we'd have a yard.

for sure, the city and region seem to have proposed some crazy incentives. we just extended incentives to shell that could end up well over a billion dollars to build a chemical plant in western pa.

our airport is way, way bigger than it needs to be right now- because it was originally built as a hub for us airways. lots of underutilized capacity there, i believe, and we also have a separate airport that's for private jets and whatnot but has a long enough runway to handle large aircraft. tangentally, there has been talk of a regional high speed transit line- whatever that crazy elon musk's firm has been developing. hyperloop? travel from dc to chicago, via pittsburgh, at crazy-fast speeds. if you ask me, hyperloop sounds like those t-shirts that i had back in the day and changed colors when you sweat while wearing 'em. but if i could get a cheezborger cheezborger for dinner and still be home before the daily show that'd be awesome.

effect on things here if we were awarded the hq2 in pittsburgh? i think the divide between the older generations and others would widen. gentrification would go from dangerously quick into ludicrous speed. when the steel mills closed, it kind of wiped out entire sections of the population. someone told me that's why the steelers have so many fans all over the country- they left here to look for work elsewhere. some stayed and adapted, others never did- so we have neighborhoods where one house is a crusty old guy that hasn't updated the steelers banner on his front porch since the 80's right next to a sleek renovation that looks like a spaceship, with a german sedan parked out front.

me? dunno what i really think. i wouldn't bet on pittsburgh- but wouldn't be shocked if they do end up choosing us for hq2.

edit- we have recently put in lots of bike lanes. it's all 'bout those bike lanes.

Plus Franco there to greet everyone in the Airport.

Infrastructure is a bit crumbly. 79 and 279 are okay but 376 Is a shithole road and no beltway around the city.

I'd move back someday but no access to mountains or big water keep me away.

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by acinpdx

maybe they go with a conservative center like Indy
Seattle libs vs Indy Conservatives to spice up the interoffice competition for productivity

Without looking it up, I can tell you that Indianapolis is substantially to the left of our national government in the context of 2018 American politics. It's a thriving, well-educated city.

But Fairfax County is getting HQ2, so it doesn't matter. My LinkedIn timeline has been full of PM types accepting AWS jobs in Fairfax for 2 years.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 02:34 PM

There's been a lot of rumbling about redeveloping the Rte. 1 corridor in eastern Fairfax, it's older than the rest of the county and has gotten pretty run-down in recent years, they could find room there.

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by iceman

There's been a lot of rumbling about redeveloping the Rte. 1 corridor in eastern Fairfax, it's older than the rest of the county and has gotten pretty run-down in recent years, they could find room there.

That would be a good spot if they could consolidate the land for that big a corporate campus.

I'm a few years out of date, but I remember reading how Crystal City office rents had tanked. Is that Arlington or Fairfax County?

**dunfree** · 01-18-2018, 02:54 PM

crystal city is Arlington.

It'd sounded like AMZN wanted "cheaper than Seattle" from the earlier statements and I'm struggling to see how a bunch of the remaining entrys are cheaper. DC area? NYC? Is Seattle that expensive now?

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by dunfree

crystal city is Arlington.

It'd sounded like AMZN wanted "cheaper than Seattle" from the earlier statements and I'm struggling to see how a bunch of the remaining entrys are cheaper. DC area? NYC? Is Seattle that expensive now?

Seattle is probably a push with the D.C. area or Boston these days, though a bit behind NYC and SFO in terms of cost. You could argue that D.C. is cheaper than Seattle if they locate out near Dulles or that Boston is cheaper than Seattle if they locate out on 495, but Seattle is cheaper than Seattle if they move to Longview and call it Seattle. So YMMV.

**PNWbrit** · 01-18-2018, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by dunfree

Is Seattle that expensive now?

Median home price a little over $720k.

I don't believe that expensiveness of the city is a big issue certainly not bigger than it being an attractive place to live.

**bagtagley** · 01-18-2018, 03:39 PM

I hope they don’t pick Pittsburgh. They’ll ruin a perfectly good little city.

If it’s Fairfax, I just hope that shit doesn’t bleed down here. We got enough DC elite poking around.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 03:42 PM

I could see it going south of Fairfax, to Stafford or Prince William counties. A lot more room and much cheaper land down there. Less amenities though.

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by iceman

I could see it going south of Fairfax, to Stafford or Prince William counties. A lot more room and much cheaper land down there. Less amenities though.

Didn't make their list that was released today.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Sirshredalot

Didn't make their list that was released today.

I thought the list said "Northern Virginia", no? They count Stafford and Prince William in that term frequently.

**Sirshredalot** · 01-18-2018, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by iceman

I thought the list said "Northern Virginia", no? They count Stafford and Prince William in that term frequently.

The article I read said Fairfax County, but it would be easier and cheaper to acquire the land for a Silicon Valley style corporate campus out in the boonies, though that would come at the expense of workforce retention and recruitment, plus they already have a rapidly-expanding presence in Fairfax and LoCo.

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 04:11 PM

I just read up on it a little and the "Northern Virginia" bid was a cooperative effort between Loudon and Fairfax counties so it would be out by Dulles almost certainly.

Loudoun and Fairfax collaborated with developer Open-Rebees to submit proposal for The Hub property, an 85-acre undeveloped site straddling the county borders near Dulles Airport. The property, which has been rezoned by the Loudoun Board of Supervisors for development of 3.5 million square feet of office space and 1,300 residential units. That project is adjacent to the Center for Innovative Technology, which was developed three decades ago during Gov. Chuck Robb’s administration and which the government has identified for sale. A Silver Line rail station is under construction at that location.

So, about 6 miles from my house but on the other side of the river and no bridge to get there. I don't expect a real estate windfall, dammit.

**RShea** · 01-18-2018, 04:26 PM

If the 2nd headquarters is for AWS and not just another office complex so there is only Seattle (cheaper just different geography - possibly east coast or south somewhere) then power options can influence the decision greatly. Sure there is renewable- solar, but you have to have sun and enough days that are not dark and cloudy overcast.... Pittsburgh would not be a good renewable solar power option. It also would probably need some major bridge infrastructure improvements fast also. So it is hard to say what the no we will be crossing that location off the list criteria - no that is TOO HIGH or LOW are at this point- traffic, infrastructure, cost of living, airport access, land needs and of course the unknown tax incentives being dangled, etc.

**RShea** · 01-18-2018, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by iceman

I just read up on it a little and the "Northern Virginia" bid was a cooperative effort between Loudon and Fairfax counties so it would be out by Dulles almost certainly.

So, about 6 miles from my house but on the other side of the river and no bridge to get there. I don't expect a real estate windfall, dammit.

Ferry service over - side business opportunity...

**Svengali** · 01-18-2018, 04:32 PM

Leaked blueprint of Amazon HQ2

https://twitter.com/haymarketbooks/s...05163357982720

**iceman** · 01-18-2018, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by RShea

Ferry service over - side business opportunity...

There used to be a ferry across to Virginia right down the road from me for over a hundred years. Unfortunately it stopped about a hundred years ago too. Could be time for a comeback!