Microsoft Plans Multi-Billion-Dollar Expansion Of Redmond Campus

REDMOND, WA - With Amazon looking outside Puget Sound build a second headquarters, Microsoft announced Tuesday it will massively expand its Redmond campus. The company will tear down 1980s-era buildings in the central part of the Microsoft campus along 157th Avenue Northeast in Redmond to build 18 new buildings.

Microsoft said the multi-billion dollar expansion will add 8,000 jobs in Redmond, and create up to 2,500 construction jobs. The project will take about seven years, and will add 2.5 million square-feet of space at the campus.

"At a time when space is at a premium and many companies are looking for room to grow, we recognize that our 500-acre campus in Redmond, Washington, is a unique asset," the company said in a statement. "Neighboring a vibrant urban core, suburban towns, lakes, mountains and miles of forest, it’s one of Microsoft’s crown jewels."

The expansion is intended to be "more open and less formal." Community spaces feature prominently in the plans including pedestrian-focused pathways, an open-air plaza, and outdoor areas with running/walking trails and sports facilities.

In addition, the company will spend $150 million on transportation infrastructure. A foot- and cyclist-only bridge over SR 520 will connect with Redmond Technology Transit Station where Link Light Rail will arrive in 2023.

Microsoft currently employs 47,000 in Washington and has had its Redmond headquarters since 1986, shortly before the company went public.

The announcement comes following Amazon's decision to build a second headquarters somewhere somewhere in North America. More than 200 cities have reportedly submitted bids to attract Amazon.

While Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, said the company's decision was not intended as a response, he did tell the New York Times: "When it comes to headquarters, one is enough, we feel."

Image courtesy Microsoft