New York City will become one of two locations housing Amazon’s second North American headquarters. Known as HQ2, the tech giant recently announced the new split-up version of their second headquarters in two different locations including Crystal City in Arlington, VA and Long Island City in Queens, NY.
LIC was one of four NYC neighborhoods pitched by city and state officials as a possible HQ2 location. As part of the agreement, NY will give Amazon as much as $1.7 billion in subsidies through a variety of programs, and Amazon has promised to build a school, as well as investing in unspecified infrastructure and park improvements. The new HQ2 will also bring 25,000 jobs to Queens. With this news comes questions like where will these new employees live, and where will a 500,000 square-foot-headquarters be built? Amazon wants to build its own campus, heading toward the water with several sites around Anable Basin. Plus, with a residential real estate boom in recent years, more than 12,000 apartments have been added, not to mention a lot of new housing in Brooklyn close enough to commute. Even with enough space to build and live, the news also raises concerns about increasing real estate prices and jam-packed public transportation.
To learn more about the upcoming HQ2 and the concerns surrounding the addition to LIC, visit here.
