Amazon, the internet sales giant, is reconsidering its plan to open a new headquarters in New York in the face of opposition from local politicians, the Washington Post reported today.
The newspaper, which cites two people familiar with the company’s plans, details that Amazon has not yet rented or bought a space for the project, which, according to the newspaper, would make it easy to withdraw from the commitment.
Last November, Amazon announced its intention to open two new offices in the states of New York and Virginia, in which it will employ more than 50,000 people and will invest 5,000 million dollars.
The technology giant also said it will develop a smaller operations and logistics center in Nashville (capital of the state of Tennessee), where another 5,000 people will work.
The Washington Post, a journal that is also owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, adds that executives from the Seattle-based company have held recent discussions to assess the situation in New York and have explored alternatives.
“The question is whether it’s worth it (the initiative) if the politicians in New York do not want the project, especially because of the way the people of Virginia and Nashville have been so welcoming,” said one person familiar with the plans of the company, which spoke on condition of anonymity.
Considered an economic triumph when it was announced by the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, and the mayor of the city, Bill de Blasio, the project in the Long Island district now faces the criticism of some politicians and defense groups that question the possibility of giving subsidies to the company.
The “Post” points out that key officials, including the Bronx and Queens Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have spoken out against the project.
In addition, the detractors of the plan have gone door-to-door to alert the residents of Queens about the increases in rentals and displacements that lie ahead.
The newspaper added that although Amazon has not officially announced that it will rule out New York, it is very possible that it will try to use the threat of abandoning the project to pressure officials in New York. (EFEUSA) .-
