Protestors rallied against Amazon and the company’s plans to move their second headquarters to Long Island City in late January 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Getty
Love definitely isn’t in the air today — at least not for supporters of Amazon’s New York City headquarters. The retailer has officially called it quits on its plans to launch an NYC-based HQ2 in Long Island City, citing less-than-supportive city leaders as the primary reason.
Though 56% of New Yorkers supported the move, Amazon says “a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us.“
The rumors of a pullout had been swirling since Friday when the Washington Post broke the news that Amazon might be reconsidering its decision. Local lawmakers like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Michael N. Gianaris have been outspoken about their distaste for the project in recent weeks, as have several city council members and community leaders.
Still, many experts brushed it off wheeling and dealing on the part of Bezos and Co. As Gill Chowdhury of New York’s Warburg Realty put it: “It is a negotiating strategy. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are more powerful than New York City — at least they are more powerful than New York City’s leaders. Coming to terms and then asking for more is a negotiating strategy.”
Though Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly brokered a meeting between union leaders and Amazon executives as late as Wednesday, it appears the talks were ineffective. De Blasio has been a firm supporter of the project since the beginning.
According to Eric Benaim, who recently started a petition in favor of the New York City-based headquarters, de Blasio and other leaders might have some unhappy constituents now that the deal has fallen through.
Before Amazon’s announcement, Benaim said, “I would think the local leaders who oppose Amazon coming to LIC are worried, because if the deal does get rejected, they will go down in history as the people who lost 25,000 jobs for New York City.”
Amazon announced its plans to build the Long Island City campus late last year. It would have created up to 40,000 jobs and $27.5 billion in local tax revenues, according to estimates. According to Amazon’s announcement, the company is not reopening its search for a second HQ2 location and will move forward with its plans for Crystal City, Virginia, and Nashville.