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Amazon Got a Taste of New York’s Messy Politics… and Clicked ‘Return’
The company decided it didn’t want that package after all.
A couple of months ago, when Amazon announced that New York City’s Long Island City neighborhood would host one of its two new “HQ2” headquarters complexes, the reaction was… mixed, to say the least. Some residents celebrated the company’s promise of 25,000+ new jobs. However, others reacted with dismay.
Long Island City, like many neighborhoods in New York, is wrestling with crumbling infrastructure, gentrification, and a host of other issues; crunching a tech giant’s massive complex into the mix seemed like a surefire way to make those issues a lot thornier. In the wake of Amazon’s announcement, emotions ran high; protests erupted; borough community board meetings got a lot more interesting — the equivalent of must-see TV for the civic-minded.
But a funny thing happened on Amazon’s way to settling down in Queens: It abruptly decided to scuttle the deal. In its statement, the company alluded to negativity on the part of local politicians; here’s the opening sentence:
“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…
