Is Amazon’s HQ2 Good News?

As has been widely reported, Amazon will select the location of its second North American headquarters, HQ2, in 2018. The e-commerce giant’s Request for Proposals states that Amazon seeks to locate in a metropolitan area with more than 1 million people, on a site that can accommodate 30 or more buildings and is within 45 minutes of an international airport.

Amazon estimates that building and operating its second headquarters will cost at least $5 billion and it could hire up to 50,000 new, full-time employees. The company notes that its first headquarters in Seattle supplied an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy. Two hundred and thirty-eight cities submitted bids prior to the Oct. 19, 2017, deadline.

A national tracking poll by Morning Consult showed that 72 percent of those surveyed support Amazon setting up shop in their hometown or nearest large city; 46 percent said the new headquarters would have a positive impact on housing prices in their region; while 23 percent cited a negative impact. Some 7 percent of those living in rural areas, and 72 percent of suburbanites and urbanites are in favor of Amazon’s presence in their area. Also, a majority of respondents support their state providing tax incentives to lure Amazon to build its new headquarters. Wyoming had the highest net support for Amazon’s HQ2 at 81 percent, while Vermont had the lowest, at 66 percent.