NYC Receives More Than Two Dozen Proposals For Massive Amazon Second HQ Requirement

NEW YORK—As expected, New York City will submit a sweeping proposal to land Amazon’s second headquarters requirement.

City officials announced on Sept. 27th that the city has thus far received more than two-dozen proposals for possible locations for Amazon’s second headquarters. Collectively, the proposals total more than 50 million square feet of commercial space across 23 different neighborhoods in all five boroughs.

The proposals were submitted in response to a Request for Expressions of Interest published by the New York City Economic Development Corp. on Sept. 15, which sought to identify privately controlled sites that could complement a number of publically owned properties as potential locations for Amazon’s second headquarters. Amazon has requested that cities identify sites that could provide at least 500,000 square feet of commercial space by 2019 and up to 8 million square feet beyond 2027.

“We’ve gotten strong responses from all five boroughs,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “There’s no question New York City will make a powerful case to bring these jobs here.”

“From the moment Amazon released its request for proposals, New York’s real estate, business, and community leaders have worked together to best position the city to win the company’s second headquarters,” Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said. “Thanks to this collaborative effort, we now see the tremendous potential we have for development sites. No other city in North America has the space, the ingenuity, or the energy that we can offer Amazon.”

“We know New York is the only city that can immediately meet Amazon’s needs for 50,000 of the most talented workers in the world,” said New York City Economic Development Corp. President and CEO James Patchett. “Now we know that New York can choose from dozens of potential headquarters sites with over 50 million square feet of office space to make the strongest possible bid. We continue to separate ourselves from the competition and demonstrate that we are the clear choice for Amazon’s second headquarters.”

More than 40 organizations and developers contributed to responses, demonstrating New Yorkers’ willingness to band together in order to attract Amazon to New York City. The proposals reflect at least 50 individual sites that span every borough, with many proposals containing multiple site options.

City officials say that each proposal will be reviewed over the coming days and that the city’s efforts are being closely coordinating with the State of New York. The city will present its proposal to Amazon by October 19.

John Jordan
Editor, Real Estate In-Depth