Residents Upset about Amazon HQ2 in Virginia and New York

Amazon announced on Tuesday that the company had chosen New York’s Long Island City and Northern Virginia’s Crystal City as the locations for its secondary headquarters.

“We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,” Founder and CEO Jeffrey Bezos issued a statement. “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.”

The benefits are clear. Amazon will bring an enormous amount of investment and approximately 50,000 new job opportunities to the two east-coast cities.

In a 25-page memorial of understanding between Virginia and the company, Amazon promised to hire 400 new employees next year and 1,190 more in 2020. At least 25,000 jobs will be created by 2030 and 37,800 by 2034.

Virginia governor Ralph Northam (Dem)  welcomed the headquarter wholeheartedly: “This is a big win for Virginia — I’m proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here,” he said.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (Dem) went even a step further in pushing for the project. He repeatedly said that he would even change his name to “Amazon Cuomo” if that could help make the deal happen.

However, the benefits are not one-sided. Both states agreed to provide Amazon with massive monetary incentives and the public is just learning the details of these deals.

Depending on the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, if Amazon creates 25,000 jobs with an average income of $150,000, the state government will offer the company $819 million as rewards. $195 million of the total sum will go to constructing and renovating transportation infrastructure—Metro stations, pedestrian bridges and Reagan National Airport—in order to provide convenience for its employees. In fact, the state will build a whole new neighborhood for the purpose; “National Landing” is expected to cover large areas of Pentagon City and Crystal City.

New York agreed to even higher incentives. Provided that the company created enough jobs in the area, the state government will offer $1.85 billion to assist the company’s relocation.

But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the new headquarters as government officials in New York and Virginia. In Crystal city, housing prices are already rising in recent years. The gap between high- and low-income residents continues to widen. Many worry that the cost of living will skyrocket after Amazon moves in and poorer residents who have been living there for decades will be forced to move out of their own homes.

Protests broke out on Thursday at Gordan Triangle where Amazon is expected to build its future headquarter. Angry protestors are concerned with the potential influx of population and the resulting gentrification. They believe that a homelessness crisis will break out when Amazon settles in.

“Thousands of new high-paying jobs could be a boon to our community, but we deserve to know the cost,” said Anna Scholl from advocacy group Progress Virginia. “Tens of thousands of new workers and their families are sure to strain community resources when it comes to affordable housing, mass transit and traffic, and quality local schools. It’s only right that Amazon pay their fair share.”

Featured image via Chris Velazco/Engadget