Camden County Supports Philadelphia In Amazon HQ Bid

Although Camden wasn’t among the 20 finalists announced on Thursday for Amazon’s second headquarters, county officials expressed optimism that Philadelphia may be chosen to house the new HQ and the financial impact it could have on South Jersey.

“This is great news for Philadelphia, Camden and South Jersey,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “We believe if the Philadelphia Metropolitan region makes the final cut it will be a win for the overall region and that it will benefit our area with billions of dollars in new development and more than 50,000 new highly paid employees. Furthermore, we believe that Camden City’s rebirth and economic growth in Camden County had a direct impact on the proposal and played a key role in boosting it to the next level."

The City of Camden and Coopers Ferry Partnership, submitted a proposal to bring the retail giant's second North American headquarters to South Jersey in October. They submitted a 197-page document that details why Camden is the most fertile ground for the tech giant to land.

The county views the 8 million square feet of proposed office space as "transformative for any landscape." The thousands of new employees working within those offices will bring benefits the local economy of whatever community Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos decides to plan his new headquarters, officials said.

“Of course, we would have been overjoyed if the Camden proposal made the cut, but when I sat with the Philadelphia Director of Commerce, Harold Epps, a month ago, I told him and the Philadelphia Economic Development Corporation we would be working with the city if they were picked and if Philadelphia makes the final cut,” Cappelli said. “There is no question in my mind that Camden and South Jersey would feel a positive impact based on the size and scope of the investment Amazon would bring to the region. I would be remiss if I didn’t remind residents that a rising tide lifts all boats and this corporate e-commerce giant would deliver a long-lasting wave of economic growth if our region captures it.”

Its support for Philadelphia would put the county in opposition to the bid from Newark, which is also among the final 20 sites being considered. Newark has the support of New Jersey lawmakers, who approved legislation to attract Amazon's second corporate headquarters to Newark several weeks ago. This included presenting the company with incentives to locate a facility that could create up to 50,000 jobs with an investment of $5 billion in tax breaks.

Here are the communities that made the cut: Boston; New York City; Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Montgomery County, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Northern Virginia; Atlanta; Miami; Toronto; Columbus; Indianapolis, Chicago; Denver; Nashville; Los Angeles; Dallas; and Austin, TX.

“I’m extremely happy to hear that the Philadelphia Metro area will be a finalist for Amazon HQ2,” Camden Mayor Frank Moran said. “Certainly, we still believe that Camden is the best possible place for Amazon, nevertheless we know and we’ve said before that the city will see a tremendous benefit if our region makes the final cut. In fact, we are throwing all of our support behind the Philadelphia proposal because if Mr. Bezos decides to locate in Philadelphia, Camden, South Jersey and the Pennsylvania suburbs will be flooded with billions of dollars in economic development. More than 50,000 highly-skilled Amazon employees flooding the region would be a game changer and transformational for us and the rest of the metro area. That said, we are cheering on our colleagues in Philadelphia and stand ready to assist their proposal in any way possible.”

In September 2017, Amazon announced its intent to build a second headquarter in North America – known as HQ2. It has listed some criteria for the new location: It would be in a metropolitan area, in a stable and business-friendly environment, close to world-class universities and to transportation infrastructure, and with optimal connectivity to the internet. The project could generate an estimated $10 billion in direct and indirect economic activity, according to the release.

According to Amazon, its headquarters in Seattle injected an additional $38 billion in the city's economy between 2010 and 2016, employs more than 40,000 persons directly in Seattle, and the economic activity generated by the company led to the creation of more than 50,000 jobs.

See related:
County To Bid For Amazon HQ In Camden City
Officials Still Committed To Bringing Amazon To Camden County

Associated Press photo