Ever since Columbus made the finalist list for the Amazon HQ2 bid back in January, there’s been a lot of buzz about how the city could transform if the project landed here. Many were excited about the increase in high-paying jobs, while others were not so excited about the increase in apartment rental rates.
Regardless, those scenarios can be put to rest, as Amazon has officially announced today that they have split the bid across two site locations in New York City and Northern Virginia (just outside Washington DC).
“We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,” stated Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, in a release issued this morning. “These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.”
The announcement represents a $5 billion private investment and 50,000 new jobs across the two cities, although large financial incentives have been requested of each host city as a part of the bid process. Amazon will receive just over $1.5 billion in incentives in New York and $573 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
While the news certainly means that Columbus didn’t win the HQ2 bid, city leaders continue to hold their heads high.
“I have never been more proud of the City of Columbus and its partners than during our bid for Amazon HQ2,” stated Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. “Our collaborative spirit is in high gear, and this process reinforced how well our region competes together. The work we did in our proposal gives us a roadmap for our future and how we will tackle challenges that come with growth: affordable housing, mobility, workforce development.”
For more information, visit blog.aboutamazon.com/company-news/.