Somerville Among Amazon HQ Finalists

SOMERVILLE, MA – Somerville's bid for the new $5 billion Amazon headquarters is on the online retail juggernaut's short list, a spokesperson for the company told the Boston Herald. Greater Boston was named one of 20 finalists for the project Thursday; the company said it will consider proposals from both Somerville and Boston under that umbrella.

Amazon whittled down 238 applicants for its HQ2 to 20 finalists, a list that includes other heavy hitters like New York and Los Angeles, as well as dark horses like Montgomery County, Md. Greater Boston was the only location in New England that has made it this far.

Massachusetts offered 26 proposals to Amazon, with officials going all in on pitching the whole Bay State. But Boston, with its bid centering around Suffolk Downs, and Somerville, which focuses on interconnected sites along the Orange or Green Lines, caught the company's attention.

"We're very encouraged," Somerville Director of Economic Development Tom Galligani said. "I think we've got a great story to tell in Somerville and the communities in our region."

Galligani said Somerville's proposal was a practical solution to the absence of a single 10 million-square-foot site in the region. Planners identified sites in Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, Medford, Chelsea and Everett that could be strung together by public transit, reducing vehicular traffic while maintaining accessibility.

Officials in Somerville will speak to Amazon at some point over the next week about the community and proposed sites, according to Galligani.

"There's still a lot of work left to be done and for them to get to know us and for us to get to know them," he said. "We're encouraged to continue that mutual exploration over the next couple months."

Boston has been considered a favorite by many. A study by The Wall Street Journal had Boston as the second-best fit for the e-commerce and tech giant. A data-driven study by Bloomberg also had Boston near the top. Truth In Accounting said the Hub is a top-5 contender.

"Massachusetts put forth a comprehensive proposal that showcased the Commonwealth's global innovation economy, world-class workforce and leading higher educational institutions across the state," a spokesperson for Gov. Charlie Baker's office said in a statement. "The Baker-Polito Administration is excited to continue working with the Cities of Boston and Somerville to expand economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts."

The 20 finalists are: Atlanta; Austin, Tex; Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Montgomery County, Md.; Nashville; Newark; New York; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, NC; Toronto, Canada; Washington D.C.

Zavian Tate, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, pushes a large Amazon Dash button, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)