Philly Loses Amazon HQ2 To New York City, Northern Virginia

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia will not be Amazon's second home, according to the company.

Instead, Amazon has chosen to split its new HQ2 between New York and Northern Virginia.

After more than a year of reviewing bids submitted by cities across the nation – and even cities in Canada and Mexico – Amazon has selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia as the locations for the company’s new headquarters, leaving Philly in the dust.

Philadelphia was a finalist in the selection process, but wasn't able to make the cut.

"While Philadelphia was not ultimately chosen for Amazon’s HQ2, I thank Amazon for its consideration and am honored that we were among the top contenders," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "I also recognize the value of this competitive process, which has benefited our city in many ways. It put Philadelphia in the national (and international) spotlight – increasing our visibility to other companies and showing our viability for other large-scale projects." It also required key stakeholders from various sectors to come together like never before and unite around a shared message and strategy for our city. I am hopeful that we will continue to harness the energy found throughout this process and apply it to future business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts in Philadelphia."

Officials hoping to bring Amazon and its subsequent economic benefits to the city put together a website highlighting why Philadelphia was a prime choice back in October 2017.

"It also required key stakeholders from various sectors to come together like never before and unite around a shared message and strategy for our city," Kenney said of creating the proposal for Amazon. "I am hopeful that we will continue to harness the energy found throughout this process and apply it to future business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts in Philadelphia."

It touted three potential locations – Schuylkill Yards, uCity Square in University City, and the Navy Yard – as the HQ2 home.

Other localities entered the fray, including Chester in Delaware County, Bensalem in Bucks County, and Camden County in New Jersey.

Amazon said it will invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington. The new locations will join Seattle as the company’s three headquarters in North America.

"We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. "These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities."

AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File