Amazon HQ2 decision draws some negative reaction

Amazon’s
new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

Amazon

Amazon
finally brought the race for HQ2 to a close on Tuesday morning
after it selected Long Island City in Queens, New York, and
the newly formed National Landing area of Arlington,
Virginia.

These two cities will now play host to the company’s second
headquarters. Amazon will employ more than 25,000 people in each
of the two locations. 

While some officials were rejoicing
the news on Tuesday, many locals expressed concerns about the
negative effects HQ2 may bring. 

These people have likely taken note of the impact that many argue
Amazon has had on its current headquarters in Seattle, where
locals complain of skyrocketing rents, prolonged construction,
gentrification, and gridlock traffic. 

Business Insider reported earlier this year that Seattle’s
median rent increased by nearly three times the national median

between 2005 and 2015. 

Read more: The
losers of Amazon’s HQ2 contest have been revealed — but some
locals are rejoicing

Amazon’s decision to split its headquarters across two cities
should help to alleviate some of these issues. However, it’s
still likely to put pressure on the surrounding area. 

Real-estate brokers in Long Island City had already seen a spike
in inquiries for properties in the area after reports surfaced
that Amazon could select it for HQ2 last week. Some were even
buying property, sight-unseen, over text message, The Wall
Street Journal
reported earlier Tuesday. The Journal’s story was
published before Amazon had even made its official HQ2
announcement.

Newly elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will
represent the 14th Congressional District of New York, which
includes Long Island City, was
less than enthused about Amazon’s move to this part of
town. 

“We’ve been getting calls and outreach from Queens
residents all day about this,” she said on Twitter
on Tuesday. “The community’s response? Outrage.”

Read more about Amazon’s HQ2: