Could the new Amazon headquarters be in Sunset Park’s Industry City?
Photo courtesy of Industry City
After Amazon announced last week plans to build a second corporate headquarters in North America, the competition among cities hoping to be chosen remains fierce. The company’s proposed headquarters, called HQ2, would bring $5 billion in initial city investment and 50,000 new jobs, making it very appealing for most cities. According to Crain’s, a group of landlords in Brooklyn is working together to pitch Amazon the borough’s many office properties, including space in Industry City, a massive 6.5 million square-foot complex in Sunset Park. Proposals are due by Oct. 19 and Amazon is expected to make a decision by next year.
In Amazon’s request for proposals, they listed certain criteria that must be met for a city to be considered. This includes having a population of at least 1 million people, proximity to airports, a talented workforce and tax incentives. The competition is tight, as 55 U.S. cities fit the criteria, according to CityLab. Amazon’s current headquarters in Seattle employs 40,000 people and has given back $38 billion in investment to the local economy.
New York City real estate heads like Jamestown, Rudin Management, Forest City and Rubenstein Partners have decided to work together in their pitch for HQ2, instead of competing against one another. According to the CEO of Industry City, Andrew Kimball, the borough of Brooklyn, especially the spacious campus of Sunset Park would be a perfect fit for Amazon’s second corporate headquarters. “Brooklyn’s innovation coast from Williamsburg to Sunset Park has numerous opportunities for a campus-like environment with an ecosystem of academic institutions, a skilled labor force, bedroom communities and culture.”
Public officials are also getting in on the action. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Andrew Hoan wrote a letter to Amazon, pitching their “Brooklyn Prime” campaign. Adams and Hoan cited Brooklyn’s diverse population and its college-educated residents as benefits for the headquarters to be located in the borough.
In the letter, the Brooklyn officials wrote: “Our quality of life is second-to-none, with world-class arts and culture, five-star foodie experiences, healthy workplace initiatives, and incredible transit access to all of the natural beauty our region has to offer. Most important, we have the human capital any top-tier global business is looking for; with 90 spoken languages, Brooklyn is the living embodiment of the United Nations.”
[Via Crain’s]
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Industry City is nice but not sure if its “World Headquarters” caliber but it can be complimentary .
Brooklyn’s only such “World Headquarters” caliber site is the Barclays center/ Atlantic Yards properties of Forest City Greenland. There true
skyscrapers can be built. The Barclays
Center commercial sites sit on a public transportation gateway of 11 subway
lines,(quick access to the Financial District, East side, West
side,Madison Avenue, Silicon Alley, Midtown) 3 blocks away is the C
train to Kennedy Airport. The whole city is accessible from this point. This means anyone in the city can come directly to you and you can go to anyone from one central location.
Industry city being only one express train stop away can be
complimentary to a world headquarters campus in Atlantic avenue and both
should be pitched as one. They can be divided as to the Executive Campus
(Barclays Center) & the Creative Campus (industry city)
A Barclays Center & Industry city pitch.
4 Million sq ft (rights )+ 6 Million sq ft (built)
1. Quick access to every part of Manhattan from its location
2. Subway Access to Kennedy Airport 3 blocks away Via A,C train. Plus nearby highways to Kennedy and La Guardia airports. No need to cross any Bridges/ Tunnels as in Manhattan.
3. High end housing stock at Pacific Park, Downtown towers, Park Slope, Fort Greene
4. Access to a world class arena & Brooklyn Academy of Music
5. Access to deep water port at Industry City (Brooklyn Marine Terminal).
6. Abundant space to expand at Industry City including lab &
manufacturing space. Could be useful for Bezos Blue Origin spacecraft.
7. Access to high end talent from NYU, Columbia & Cornell.
8. Brooklyn’s & NYC’s proven reputation as a place young people want to come and live & Stay.
9. Brooklyn being on a separate power grid
To sum it up the main selling point is access.
Access to all parts of New York City from one central location. Access
to the Airport, Access to Deep water port, Access to talent and ability
to attract talent from nearby.(Boston, Washington, Philadelphia) and the
rest of the world. This access would give them an absolute competitive
edge for decades to come.