Amazon Cancels Plan For Long Island City HQ Across East River From Roosevelt Island - Protesters Happy But What About The 25 Thousand Jobs Lost

Amazon announced today that they are abandoning its plan announced last November to develop a campus headquarters on the Long Island City East River waterfront - a short 5 minute ferry ride from Roosevelt Island - and their plan to create more than 25 thousand jobs on this site.



According to today's Amazon statement:

After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% 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 we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

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. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.

We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.

We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.

Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.

Opponents of the Amazon Long Island City HQ were pleased including Long Island City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer

Defeating an anti-union corporation that mistreats workers and assists ICE in terrorizing immigrant communities is a victory. Defeating an unprecedented act of corporate welfare is a triumph that should change the way we do economic development deals in our city & state forever.

— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) February 14, 2019

“When Amazon said we are anti-union, and we’re going to remain anti-union and we’re going to fight the rights of workers to organize, I think that was really something that broke them,” says @NYCCouncil’s @JimmyVanBramer about $AMZN canceling NYC plans. #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/MadXRVN1zk

— Cheddar (@cheddar) February 14, 2019

Queens State Senator Mike Gianaris

My live press conference about Amazon backing out of LIC https://t.co/rC4ydtcJis

— Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) February 14, 2019

and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Rep. @AOC on Amazon: "We should not be giving away our infrastructure, our subway system, our schools, our teachers' salaries, our firefighters' budgets, to a company that has not shown good faith to New Yorkers. And we can ask for more because we deserve more." pic.twitter.com/LEDqb0gDhG

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) February 14, 2019

But these Long Island City businessmen favor the LIC Amazon HQ and are unhappy that Amazon is not going forward with the project.

The owner of @JohnBrownSmoke has choice words for @JimmyVanBramer re: #AmazonHQ2 pic.twitter.com/bjFyRcQqQi

— myles miller (@MylesMill) February 14, 2019

"This is, quite honestly, one of the saddest days in New York City's history." A Long Island City business owner told NY1's @MylesMill that it is "beyond crazy that there could be any situation where Amazon coming to New York could be viewed a negative by anybody." pic.twitter.com/ZWHISdfhLW

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) February 14, 2019

Governor Cuomo reacts:

Amazon chose to come to New York because we are the capital of the world and the best place to do business. We competed in and won the most hotly contested national economic development competition in the United States, resulting in at least 25,000-40,000 good paying jobs for our state and nearly $30 billion dollars in new revenue to fund transit improvements, new housing, schools and countless other quality of life improvements. Bringing Amazon to New York diversified our economy away from real estate and Wall Street, further cementing our status as an emerging center for tech and was an extraordinary economic win not just for Queens and New York City, but for the entire region, from Long Island to Albany's nanotech center.

However, a small group politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community -- which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City -- the state's economic future and the best interests of the people of this state. The New York State Senate has done tremendous damage. They should be held accountable for this lost economic opportunity.

The fundamentals of New York's business climate and community that attracted amazon to be here - our talent pool, world-class education system, commitment to diversity and progressivism - remain and we won't be deterred as we continue to attract world class business to communities across New York State.

And Mayor de Blasio:

You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity. We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can’t recognize what that’s worth, its competitors will.

Roosevelt Island and Long Island City Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney adds:

The deal could have been improved. There were legitimate concerns raised and aspects that I wanted changed. I was ready to work for those changes. But now, we won’t have a chance to do that and we are out 25K+ new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments. 2/

— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) February 14, 2019

I'll continue working with the residents of Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Astoria Houses, & Woodside and all #LIC & #NY12 to strengthen our economy & bring good paying jobs to NY. 4/4

— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) February 14, 2019

During the November 13 Amazon protest, Roosevelt Island's NYC Council Member Ben Kallos stated reasons for his objecting to the proposed Amazon LIC deal.



But, there are those 25 thousand good paying jobs.

"I think it's a loss both for New York and for Amazon," says Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks on the company's decision to back out of building a new headquarters in Long Island City https://t.co/EnppGOEHWc pic.twitter.com/mPta8Xffq0

— CNN Business (@CNNBusiness) February 14, 2019

Interesting points:

Amazon is abandoning Queens but says it's still committed, on some scale, to New York City. The lesson for policymakers: Big fancy companies will come to New York for free, but if we want a new downtown for Queens, we'll have to pay. https://t.co/3ATfWzgpkQ

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) February 14, 2019

and:

One factor that concerned Amazon executives was how activists in New York City broadened their attacks from the specifics of the deal to the company’s practices far beyond the five boroughs, on unions and working with ICE, per two people familiar with Amazon's decision.

— J. David Goodman (@jdavidgoodman) February 14, 2019

UPDATE 5;20 PM - And:

There is a financial literacy epidemic in America.

Quick lesson: NYC wasn’t handing cash to Amazon. It was an incentive program based on job creation, producing tax revenue.

There isn’t a $3 billion pile of money that can now be spent on subways or education.

— Andrew Ross Sorkin (@andrewrsorkin) February 14, 2019

UPDATE 7:30 PM - Reaction from Long Island City businesses and residents





Also,a report about the Amazon Effect on Seattle.