DC, NoVa Both Make Amazon 2nd HQ Short List

WASHINGTON, DC — Amazon has just released a "short list" of 20 metropolitan areas that will move on in the next phase of the bidding process for their second headquarters, and both D.C. and Northern Virginia are on it. The D.C. area owns three of the 20 spots on the list, with neighboring Montgomery County, Maryland, also on the list in addition to the District and NoVa. The list was winnowed down from 238 communities who submitted proposals.

"Amazon evaluated each of the proposals based on the criteria outlined in the RFP [request for proposals] to create the list of 20 HQ2 candidates that will continue in the selection process," reads a company statement. "In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community. Amazon expects to make a decision in 2018."

Amazon HQ2 won't simply be a satellite office to their main corporate headquarters in Seattle. It will be a complete headquarters that the company will invest $5 billion in, and it will employ as many as 50,000 people, the company says.

"In addition to Amazon’s direct hiring and investment, construction and ongoing operation of Amazon HQ2 is expected to create tens of thousands of additional jobs and tens of billions of dollars in additional investment in the surrounding community," the statement adds.

Amazon employs more than 540,000 people worldwide.

The New York Times reported last year that Amazon would accept proposals for Amazon HQ2 from state and local leaders until Oct. 19. The company wants a city in North America with at least 1 million people that has a strong reputation in the tech world. That certainly describes D.C.

The D.C. mayor's office released a statement last year announcing that they were evaluating the request for proposals to determine next steps. "D.C. is open for business and we believe we check the boxes for Amazon's request," the statement reads.

The Washington Business Journal argues that the Capitol Riverfront near Nationals Park could be a good candidate, although it would require developers there to change up their plans a good bit.

Arlington Economic Development spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell told ARLnow.com that the county would be pursuing the opportunity, although she added that it was "too early to say which specific locations would be under consideration."

Prince George's County, Maryland, and Baltimore also submitted bids, but it appears they have been eliminated from consideration.

Although there is going to be a lot of competition, one thing working in the region's favor is its sterling tech reputation: according to a CBRE report, the D.C. area is second only to Silicon Valley in terms of its ability to attract and grow tech talent.

Image via Amazon