I read the NYT mostly to keep abreast of the transportation debacle and the insanely high rental and real estate market there. When I flew through LGA a few years back I couldn't believe how congested the airport was. ATL is a walk in the park by comparison. My view is that the subway problems in the city will never get sorted out and the market for housing should only get more expensive. The stress on people living there should accelerate unabated.
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I'm slightly surprised by Amazon's decision, but can't say it would be a bad business decision on their part.
I too moved to Long Island City this past January to escape the city craziness and sky-high rents of Manhattan. (Don't get me wrong, LIC is no longer "cheap" when we pay $3,500+ for a 1 BR.) LIC has most recently been flooded with a growing list of new high rises at a rate higher than any other city in the US. But currently the growth is extremely uneven–old warehouses sit vacant, boarded up restaurants are empty from days past, there's a severe lack of drugstores, and the few dated grocery store options don't serve the diverse and fast-growing community. While I do think this Amazon move could bring some much needed money, growth, and potentially re-zoning to our area, I can't help but think of the transportation nightmare this will create. Local and state governments are having a hard enough time deciding what to do with dated tracks and constant signal issues to even begin to considering how to add a new train line. (Remember that full Second Avenue Subway? Yeah, not anywhere near completion after years.) Oh, and try driving across the Queensboro Bridge in rush hour. Not happening.
I would love for Amazon to set up town halls to listen to and work with the local community (not just those in power giving them tax breaks). To truly make this work they will need to build a sustainable relationship that is mutually beneficial for everyone, not just their business.
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I am seeing a lot of griping and whining in the majority of the comments. There are legitimate concerns about housing and infrastructure. But the headline should be "NYC to gain 25K extremely well-paid jobs", with thousands of additional jobs created in the service industry and other new businesses. Many of these jobs will go not to newcomers but to people who are already here. 7 train is a mess? Fix it! Housing is too expensive? Build more! But please stop complaining and be part of the solution instead of endlessly bemoaning these challenges. (This is coming from a progressive liberal, btw.)
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Available evidence shows Long Island City's NYC Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer is the lap-dog of all local real estate developers--look at his NYC Campaign Finance political contributions record--it's a true disgrace!
And JVB's hoping to become the next Queens Boro-President. Thus, it's likely Amazon too, will seduce JVB with more BIG buck political contributions!
Bottom line don't look to JVB for assistance stopping an Amazon invasion. Instead get ready for even MORE Long Island City infrastructure and endless subway overloads, and HUGE taxpayer financed, corporate credits/abatements and give aways!
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I' m not a US citizen, but my long held view is when you run a business you run it unaided by the state or what you end up with is a Pseudo Capitalist/communist economy. We have this in the UK now with our saving interest rates. For a decade the BOE have kept very low interest rates to pass money to the freckles spenders. Most of these freckles people have not deleverage but used the money to crank up even more debt, more debt than before the crash.
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Maybe it's unlucky to say before the ink is dry and the champagne bottles opened, I AM SO GLAD THEY ARE NOT COMING TO PITTSBURGH!!!!
Nothing against Amazon - 50,000+ new people would overwhelm the city.
One of the considerations of choosing a site is that you will not have to transplant so many, but hire from within the region. They will now just be among the many bidders in the City for well paid tech labor, to expand that pool of employers beyond the banks.
retired and living in sunnyside for five years.. great hood but already prices have gone up here and with amazon possibly coming to LIC it will push up prices even further.. don't want to leave but thinking upstate ny a small town with a easy metro north commute.. lv the city but they build and build without any regard to infrastructure and forget about any consideration to seniors.. not gonna miss the 7 at rush hour..
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I was hoping that Amazon would choose to locate where their presence would drive much-needed development instead of contributing to congestion of already overburdened infrastructure. Politically red or purple locations would have benefitted from diversification of their communities as well. But Amazon is not in it for the communities; they are looking only at their own needs, as a publicly traded company must.
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I am beyond thrilled that Nashville was not selected. Our infrastructure combined with voters who vote against their own interests time and time again (ahem, transit referendum, Marsha Blackburn, etc.), makes our city so poorly suited to absorb this infrastructure. Housing costs are already incredibly out of control and the gentrification is booming (and sad in many areas). The rapid shifts has also increased property crimes, especially car thefts.
I love my city, but we are simply not suited for this. I feel bad for the folks in these cities. While it will benefit some, Amazon will transfer over the highly paid folks while leaving the non-fancy jobs for the local folks ($15/hr. is nice, but if you have no other benefits, no social safety net, and an apt. costs $2,500/month, it just does not work).
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It is no surprise the Amazon search for a 2nd headquarters was a secret. It follows Amazon's recent "bait and switch" with pay raises, yet another example of the ethics of Jeff Bezos and the devouring, cult-like culture he is creating at Amazon.
A few years ago this paper did an in-depth, multi-full page story about the inner workings of Amazon, specifically its unreasonable expectations - and wholly inappropriate treatment - of employees.
Yesterday's announcement about HQ2, and the fact that now Amazon possesses key information with which to manipulate markets to its advantage in cities all across the U.S...is just more of the same.
For those of us who can see "outside the box," Bezos is just one more tech nerd who got power...and then chose to behave just like the power-obsessed, macho jocks who tortured him in the locker room at school; like them, he ceded his soul to the lure of money, marketing, and manipulation.
The only surprise is why most people cannot see the reality of these companies and their leaders. When we wake up and begin to value people above profits again, perhaps things will change.
It's about empowerment vs. the pursuit of power.
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"In New York, Amazon could also benefit — directly or indirectly — from a provision in the tax overhaul that President Trump signed last year. To spur investment in “distressed” parts of America, the provision creates so-called opportunity zones, which were selected this year by governors and approved by the Treasury Department. Projects in those zones can reduce capital gains taxes and avoid those taxes entirely on profits from an investment held for more than a decade."
Deals like this are what is wrong with this country and why old guard politicians of all stripes are or should be in trouble.
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We do know that Bezos has bought an enormous house in Northern Virginia.
Surely, that says something about his plans.
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@simon sez
His house is in DC.
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Public officials should be forbidden from signing nondisclosure agreements for public business. How do we hold our representatives accountable?
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Any New York elected official who signed a "nondisclosure agreement" with Amazon is not being 100% transparent with voters and should be removed from office immediately. Ditto for not explicitly stating the size of tax breaks and corporate giveaways New York offered. Amazon is rich beyond imagination already and it is they who should be paying New York, not the other way around.
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While there was never much doubt that Amazon would look to settle near the New York City area, I was hoping they'd opt for Newark, not only because it would give that city the financial incentives it really needs -- but because it would spare us from the onslaught of the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of workers the company plans to transplant here.
The city is already overcrowded enough as is, and our transportation and housing infrastructures just can't stand it.
Somebody seriously needs to wake-up to this.
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@N. Smith
I agree, generally, but the number is closer to 25,000 workers in NYC. Now it looks as though NYC is catching up to SF in terms of a tech-driven real estate and cost squeeze driving even greater inequality than already exists.
10
I work in tech and I do not believe in corporate welfare. Cities and states should NEVER give billion dollar companies incentives to move into their jurisdiction. Amazon does not need $.
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