These 7 New Jersey Towns Could Be In Running For New Amazon HQ

New Jersey is in the running for landing a second Amazon headquarters — and several towns are saying that they'll bid for the right to land the big-time employer.

New Jersey recently announced plans to submit a bid to Amazon’s "request for proposals" as it seeks a location for its second corporate headquarters

Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement that the online retailer, which already has opened warehouses and begun employing hundreds of new workers in the Garden State, would be a good fit for a region that has had "steady employment growth and rising wages."

New Jersey officials think the company could bring 50,000 jobs and billions of dollars of private investment to the state, according to the New Jersey Partnership for Action.

Watch: Amazon Is Expanding, And It Could Be Coming To A City Near You

“The Garden State is an epicenter of innovation with a burgeoning pool of tech talent, and we plan to make a compelling case to Amazon as they locate a second corporate headquarters,” Christie said.

The communities that plan to bid include:

• Camden: The Camden County Freeholder Board unanimously voted to work with the state Economic Development Agency to craft a proposal that makes a case for Camden as the best site for Amazon’s second North American headquarters Tuesday night. “Camden will be offering intangibles that other locations throughout the nation can’t come to the table with, whether that be affordability, accessibility, proximity or a qualified labor pool,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli said. Read more here.
• Newark: The city of Newark is “very much interested,” Aisha Glover, president and chief executive officer of Newark’s Community Economic Development Center, told NJ Spotlight. New Jersey’s largest city has been working hard in recent years to make itself over as a major technology hub, and it's home to the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
• New Brunswick and Jersey City: Both NJ Spotlight and NJ 101.5 reported that both communities — which are major transit hubs — plan to make bids. New Brunswick is also home to Rutgers University.
• Galloway Township: Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said he's prepared to offer a package that includes possibly millions of dollars in tax breaks to locate somewhere in the county, according to The Press of Atlantic City. Galloway Township Mayor Don Purdy, in turn, told the publication that his community has been trying to entice Amazon for a year, offering use of the old Blue Heron East golf course, a 410-acre property.
• Egg Harbor Township and Atlantic City: Both towns are also in Atlantic County. Lauren Moore, executive director of the Atlantic County Economic Alliance, told The Press that both Bader Field in Atlantic City and Stockton Aviation Park in Egg Harbor Township have been mentioned as possible sites in preliminary discussion.

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said his region also is considering a bid, and local officials are reviewing properties that could potentially fit the requirements sought by Amazon in its proposal for a new corporate headquarters.

“Mercer County has the perfect mix of proximity to large metropolitan areas, mass transit, a diverse, well-educated workforce and access to numerous cultural and recreational resources that ensure a great quality of life,” he said in a statement. “I plan to work with local and state officials to advocate on behalf of our county as the perfect site for Amazon’s new headquarters.”

Besides those communities, the NJPFA has reached out to every county in the state to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive proposal is submitted.

“From our ideal location and highly educated labor pool to our world-class infrastructure and top-notch research universities, New Jersey offers inherent advantages to businesses operating in an increasingly global marketplace,” said Michele Brown, president and chief executive officer of Choose New Jersey.

“Together with the state’s powerful incentives and responsive government, New Jersey has a compelling case to make as we pursue this exciting opportunity.”

The state intends to submit what it considers the strongest possible proposal, identifying only those sites that meet all the main evaluative criteria set forth by Amazon.

This includes:

• Metropolitan areas with more than 1 million people
• Urban or suburban locations with a significant labor pool with expertise in computer software development and engineering, executive management, legal and accounting
• Direct access to mass transportation on site and real estate and infrastructure to support a minimum 500,000 square feet of space that can expand over time to support up to eight million square feet

The NJPFA has requested responses from interested parties by Sept. 26 to ensure there is enough time to finalize one proposal on behalf of the state.

Responses that cannot demonstrate an ability to meet the core preferences outlined in the RFP will be excluded from the state’s submission, officials said.

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean also has encouraged state and local officials to put together proposals to compete for Amazon’s newly announced headquarters, and to identify programs and policies the state Legislature and governor can improve upon to make New Jersey’s business environment more attractive over the short- and long-term.

“New Jersey has benefits for businesses, employees and their families that no other location in the country can match,” said Kean. “We have direct access to markets, capital and culture being within an hour of two major cities, we’re home to one of the nation’s premier international airports, our schools and universities compete globally, our workforce is among the most highly skilled in America and the Jersey Shore offers the best beach experience in the United States. There’s no reason that New Jersey should not compete for Amazon and every other business that’s looking for a place to locate.”

Patch file photo