As part of its of heavily publicized search for its second
headquarters, Amazon is sending scouts to Chicago this week to visit a number of
proposed sites for its second North American headquarters, according to the
Chicago Tribune.
Dubbed HQ2, the internet retailer’s second headquarters would reportedly bring
$5 billion in investment and 50,000 new jobs.
Amazon’s team will look at 10 locations pitched by city and state officials, but
details remain somewhat meager thanks to nondisclosure agreements officials have
with Amazon, according to the Tribune.
News of Amazon’s massive investment has sparked a bidding war among state and
local governments across the nation, with multiple officials already offering
the e-commerce behemoth billions of dollars in incentives and tax breaks. In
October, Illinois offered Amazon a $2.25 billion incentives package, including
$1.4 billion under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit
program.
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Chicago’s bid featured a number of sites within the
city including locations such as Willis Tower and a revamped Union
Station, as well as locations in the suburbs, including in
McDonalds’ former headquarters in Oakbrook, and the Motorola
Solutions campus in Schaumburg, according to the Tribune.
Amazon announced Chicago had made it to the top 20 finalists in
January. However, the city faces stiff competition and it still
remains to be seen whether city and state leaders can land HQ2. It
also remains to be seen how much such a deal would truly cost.
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