Chennai: Amazon abandoned plans for a new headquarters site in New York City after it faced opposition from local leaders who did not want incentives handed to one of the world’s successful companies.
Amazon had announced that the New York neighbourhood of Long Island City will be one of two locations it selected last year after a long search for a second headquarters or in Amazon’s terms “HQ2”.
The online retail giant began seeking a new headquarters, saying it was outgrowing its current home in Seattle, Washington.
The online giant had promised 25,000 new jobs in exchange for nearly $3 billion in State and city incentives. The plan had been endorsed by New York Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“While polls show that 70 per cent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of State and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project,” Amazon said in a statement.
“We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture — and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents,” it stated.
Amazon said it would ‘continue growing’ its workforce in New York which includes some 5,000 people.
The company said it would not reopen the bidding process but would ‘proceed as planned’ with a headquarters site in Northern Virginia and a logistics center in Nashville, Tennessee.
It added that it “will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the US and Canada”.