| Amazon HQ2 | |
|---|---|
 The Metropolitan Park office complex during construction in February 2023 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Arlington County, Virginia |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 6,000,000 sq ft (557,400 m2) office (planned)[1] 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) retail (planned)[1]
|
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | ZGF Architects[1] |
| Main contractor | Clark Construction |
Amazon HQ2 is Amazon's corporate headquarters in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia and is an expansion of the company's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Phase I, which has capacity for 14,000 employees, opened in June 2023.[2] Construction on Phase II is delayed and there is no timeline for development.[3]
HQ2 was announced in September 2017, when Amazon submitted request for proposals to governments and economic development organizations asking for tax breaks and other incentives to entice the company. Amazon claimed that it intended to spend $5 billion on construction and that HQ2 would house 50,000 workers when completed.[4] More than 200 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States eventually offered tax breaks, expedited construction approvals, promises of infrastructure improvements, new crime-reduction programs, and other incentives. On January 18, 2018, a shortlist of 20 finalists was announced,[5] after which the candidate localities continued to detail or expand their incentive packages.
On November 13, 2018, Amazon announced that HQ2 would be split into two locations, with 25,000 workers at each: National Landing in Arlington County, Virginia, and Long Island City in Queens, New York City.[6] Virginia would provide as much as $750 million in taxpayer subsidies.[7] New York planned to give Amazon tax breaks of at least $1.525 billion, cash grants of $325 million, and other incentives.[8] In February 2019, Amazon cancelled the New York location after strong opposition from local grassroots organizers, residents and politicians.[9][10] The project has drawn criticism as an example of corporate welfare.
After having touted flowery projections of job growth and economic benefits, Amazon HQ2 fell far short of the project's 2023 job projections.[7]
- ^ a b c d "Amazon reveals first rendering of its HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia". The Architect's Newspaper.
- ^ "Amazon's HQ2 officially opens in Arlington, Va". WTOP News. June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Pausingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Amazon HQ2". Amazon.com. September 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTimes-Finalistswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
pickswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Amazon HQ2 was supposed to add jobs last year. It shed them instead". The Washington Post. 2024.
- ^ "Amazon HQ2: Breaking down the tax breaks". The Mercury News. Associated Press. November 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 27, 2018.
- ^ Durkin, Erin (February 14, 2019). "Amazon cancels plans for New York headquarters after fierce opposition". The Guardian.
- ^ McCartney, Robert; O'Connell, Jonathan (February 14, 2019). "Amazon Drops Plan For New York City Headquarters". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.