OPINION:
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
It’s official.
Amazon has narrowed its long list of 238 potential sites for its second headquarters (HQ2) to a long short list of 20, and at first blush it appears as though an East Coast presence is a prime (get it?) destination in Amazon’s future.
Of the 20 jurisdictions making the list, eight are among the largest cities in the United States, while two others that made the cut — D.C. and Boston — are 21st and 22nd in size.
Still, as everyone knows, location is key, whether you’re looking to buy, rent, lease or dawdle, and Amazon is looking forward for its current needs and as well as its future growth — and that’s where infrastructure, transportation, housing, cultural life and education come into play.
There’s no question that bids from Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina, would pique Amazon’s attention, as they did. They’re sports and culture hubs, rich with institutions of higher learning. And though Amazon didn’t dictate as much in its request for proposals, if you will, skylines are worthy of geographic discussions, too.
The skylines of New York and Chicago are postcard perfect and easily recognizable, after all, as is the nation’s capital’s with its monuments and memorials that welcome flights into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In addition, most of the short-listed contenders offered Amazon tax breaks or other financial incentives. Denver, another sports town, boosted itself by offering in-state tuition rates to Amazon workers.
Meanwhile, the so-called officials in the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) can’t even agree to fix Metro, its mass transit system, yet surely they would be forced to work together if Amazon chooses one of the three. (If Democrats and Republicans can work together, the DMV can, hardy har har.)
The selection is expected later this year, and Amazon wants to begin operations in HQ2 in 2019.
The timeline leaves D.C. time to get its education act together and, at the very least, prepare the millennials’ children for something other than filling cardboard shipping boxes with packing peanuts — because if Amazon does come, it won’t be leaving anytime soon.
The enticement comes from Amazon, which is expected to bring 50,000 “high-paying jobs” with its move.
• Deborah Simmons can be contacted at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.
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