ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - A redevelopment plan for Amazon’s second headquarters in Virginia has been unanimously approved by a county board, clearing the way for the company to transform 6.2 acres (2.5 hectares) into twin 22-story buildings.
The Arlington County Board voted 5-to-0 on Saturday to give Amazon final approval to began building the headquarters known as HQ2, news outlets reported.
HQ2 will be an approximately 2-million square-foot (185,800 square meter) mixed-use set of buildings that will house a day-care facility for employees and other residents, ground-level retail shops, an underground parking garage, and an indoor event space for county-sanctioned events.
Amazon promised the county a $20 million commitment for affordable housing because the site was once zoned for residential use and because the company is adding 590,000 square feet (54, 800 square meters) of density to the area. The company also promised to spend $14 million to expand an existing park and pay for its maintenance.
HQ2 met opposition Saturday and at a March hearing from union carpenters who said payroll fraud from contractors and subcontractors, and misclassification of workers were already happening at Amazon’s temporary quarters.
Amazon promised that it would require contractors and subcontracts to pay the same local prevailing wages to laborers similar to if they were working under a federal contract. The company also promised that contractors and subcontractors couldn’t employ independent contractors without approval and all would be subjected to oversight by a third-party labor compliance firm.
Stephen Courtien, executive director of the Baltimore-D.C. Building Trades union, said Amazon’s proposal isn’t innovative.
“It comes down to the contractor, and he’s self-reporting,” Courtien said. “They’re not going to know who’s on the job, off the books.”
Board members urged Amazon to pay close attention to the problem.
John Schoettler, Amazon’s global vice president of real estate and facilities, said the contractors and subcontractors involved in the labor abuse were fired and won’t be hired again.
HQ2 is expected to be completed in 2023.
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