Could Columbia Be Home To Amazon's New Headquarters?

COLUMBIA, MD - Amazon is looking for a second headquarters that will house a staggering 50,000 employees across an estimated 33 buildings.

Cities all across the nation are plugging their own bona fides to handle the tech giant. Baltimore, D.C. and Arlington have all made it known that they're interested in hosting Amazon. So has Prince George's County.

Could Columbia's bragging rights as Money magazine's best place to live in America help it land such a deal? Local officials certainly think so.

County Executive Allan Kittleman says Columbia is "well positioned" and thinks Columbia Gateway could be a good fit, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.

Already, the business park is home to more than 400 businesses, employing about 26,000 people, the Howard County Economic Development Authority reports.

When Amazon announced earlier this month that it planned to spend $5 billion on the new headquarters, called "HQ2," the company said it would create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs in the process.

“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”

These are what Amazon is looking for, according to the company's announcement about its search for HQ2:

• Metropolitan areas with a population of at least 1 million. Columbia has 99,615 people as of the 2010 census. The Baltimore metro has more than 2.7 million, according to estimates.
• Stable, business-friendly environment. There is a 3 percent unemployment rate in Howard County, which has the lowest rate in Maryland and a AAA bond rating.
• Urban/suburban areas that can attract and retain technical talent. Columbia is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Its largest employer is the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and it has an educated workforce, with public school systems that rank among the best in the country and Howard Community College, which recently opened a SET building for science, engineering and technology.
• "Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options." Columbia has demonstrated innovation as far as space and location, evidenced by projects such as the construction of Whole Foods in a former office building, the Chrysalis at Merriweather, Columbia Mall expansion, Columbia cultural center plans and Columbia Gateway.

Amazon has put the following down as possible but not required elements: an urban/downtown area with a similar layout to the Seattle campus that is development-ready. Its flagship headquarters has 33 buildings that have 8.1 million square feet.

Columbia Gateway is a business park near Interstate 95 at MD 175 that, combined with Gateway Commerce Center, encompasses 920 acres and 8.1 million square feet of commercial space.

Many buildings are leasing, and there are some spaces ready for development.

Amazon's deadline for proposals for HQ2 is Oct. 19.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Howard County is proposing multiple locations in Columbia.

The tech company is expected to make its final decision some time next year.

Patch editors Doug Gross and Dan Taylor contributed.

Photos of Columbia Gateway by Elizabeth Janney.

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