Amazon Cancels Plan to Build New York Headquarters

israelnationalnews.com

Amazon will not follow through on plans to build a new headquarters in Queens, New York, the online retail giant announced Thursday.

“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,” Amazon said in a press release.

“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,” the company added.

The initial announcement that one of Amazon’s new headquarters would open in New York had been greeted with fanfare by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The headquarters would have provided 25,000 high-paying jobs as well as billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state.

However, the Seattle-based company had faced backlash over its plans to expand with the New York headquarters, including from freshman New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Polls showed that 70% of New Yorkers were in favor of the opening of the New York headquarters.

Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks lamented Amazon’s final decision.

“This will be not just a major revenue loss for the city and state, but a loss of thousands of high paying jobs for New Yorkers, and a missed opportunity to further transform New York into the tech capital of the world,” Meeks tweeted.

Another planned headquarters in North Carolina will proceed as planned.

One Comment

  • Anonymous

    Thank you Congresswoman Cortez for not allowing a positive move for New York. Will you find 25,000 jobs somehow? And the revenue?