Amazon HQ2 selected - and not Boston

[nm88]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Crystal City will NOT be building tall. Anyone thinking that needs to change their meds. CC has an equally troubled (give or take certain realities) transit predicament. I believe it came down to two things (if a decision has been actually made): housing and access to DC. Ask anyone in tech in Seattle (or San Francisco, for that matter) and they'll tell you housing is a huge inescapeable issue. Populations in both cities are tilting anti-tech due to overwhelming real estate issues, raising PR concerns for these companies. How does Bezos explain to his troops he'd chosen another over-priced housing market. Boston would have been perfect, but we don't need it. And it just may be a blessing in disguise. Do we really want such a powerful entity imposing its will on our city? Think about how this temptation has been dangled. That represents a corporate mindset that we may be happy to avoid. We will not lose the thousands of jobs Bezos is already sending here because there is a reason for them to be here.

That said, I think it's a good decision. Van was right.

 

[odurandina]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

DC can't really build tall. Were Amazon to have been persuaded to locate offices in say, The West End with its R&D component trailing off in Kendall or the Seaport.... or the South Station area + Seaport/ Kendall, height very likely could have well played into the mix, with 20~30 stories of offices topped by another 20~25 stories of residential at a site like 125 Lincoln St or adjacent to North Statioin with big Salesforce-esque signage (for the Flat Earthers to revel across the way).

and here's some brilliant;

the US.Gov will soon be fixing DC's to-big-to-fail overburdened, crumbling transit.

 

[Smartiro]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

With Amazon out of the picture should we go back to speculating if a soccer stadium has a future in Suffolk downs?

 

[stellarfun]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Crystal City / Pentagon City has a commercial inventory of 10.7 million sf. At the end of the 2Q, 2.1 million sf was vacant, for a vacancy rate of over 20 percent. Vacancy rates in Arlington have hovered around 20 percent for over five years.

Amazon's specs said there would be four phases, and there was no commitment to proceed to Phase IV. Phases 1-3 could have as little as 3.5 million square feet and as much as 6 million square feet. Phases I and II (1.5 - 3 million square feet) would absorb most/all the existing vacant space in Crystal City.

This appears to be the cheapest solution for amazon.

And Amazon will not be moving jobs from Boston to DC, given the nature of jobs in Boston, now and in the future. Because of the nature of the talent pool, Amazon jobs in Boston will pay more than Amazon jobs at HQ2.

In 2017, the NY Times reported,

Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock, according to nine people who work for major tech companies or have entertained job offers from them.

 

[stellarfun]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

DC can't really build tall. Were Amazon to have been persuaded to locate offices in say, The West End with its R&D component trailing off in Kendall or the Seaport.... or the South Station area + Seaport/ Kendall, height very likely could have well played into the mix, with 20~30 stories of offices topped by another 20~25 stories of residential at a site like 125 Lincoln St or adjacent to North Statioin with big Salesforce-esque signage (for the Flat Earthers to revel across the way).

and here's some brilliant;

the US.Gov will soon be fixing DC's to-big-to-fail overburdened, crumbling transit.

Para 1 is contradicted by Amazon's specs; Amazon was looking for a single property owner.

Part 2, the brilliant part, is contradicted by the great antipathy between POTUS and Bezos. So there will be no Federal fix.

 

[shmessy]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Amazon is the size of corporation you'd normally see expanding in Manhattan, Los Angeles or San Francisco; My interpretation brought me to 1 or 2 signature tower/s, not unlike Salesforce, downsloping at the edge of Downtown, into an established lab district. We have that capacity (ideally) at North Station/West End area/ downsloping to Kendall, or the South Station (area) & the Seaport, +/- Dot Ave, with a sizable presence in Kendall Square.

Of course, Boston should have won. Getting near a real conversation of why Boston didn't win, involves going back to this fundamental problem--of not having a large-scale plan in place. Other questions need to be asked. But for anyone brave enough to ask some really tough/ appropriate questions, they would be well served to have their bags packed.

Amazon will be here..... included in a big part of their operations, will be to move talent out of Boston to DC.

Of course, they should have had their parameters lying in some vault years ago that include 700-900' towers. It's the 21st Century for Christ's sakes..

Crystal City has no building over 25 stories. Your above post is delusional.

You are again missing the big picture of what it DOES have. Excellent access to the Metro, WALKING distance to Reagan National Airport and great Metro access to Dulles. A far newer transit system with great bones (and, yes, a lousy fiscal management).

Sorry, O. Building height doesn't matter. Efficiency and urban effectiveness does.

Boston is top-class in many areas. Infrastructure is the Achilles Heel and those who do not realize that (not your building height fetish) are missing the point on the future of Boston's competitiveness. BTW, I live in Montgomery Count, MD and, while the Metro is a budget, repair mess, the experience of commuting on ANY DC Metro line/station is roomier, faster and more comfortable than on ANY T line. Hands down, no competition. Station access, roominess, speed of transport, cleanliness, everything in that experience. If they can fix the budget and the maintenance problems which are similar to Boston's then it would be Euro-Level. The bones of the system are superior (having been mostly built in the 1970's for the bicentenial.

The new Gov't Center station is a start. Now get to the Blue-Red Connection and the NSRL. Fund it with revenue from all the record breaking luxury
tower and biotech development. Get it done or watch Boston's competitiveness go down the drain over the next 50 years. The choice is yours.

In the meantime, I remain convinced that having 75 new small-mid size tech companies sprouting up is better than getting one giant HQ2, but those small-mid sized companies will in the future start judging more based on infrastructure just as Amazon did for HQ2. You can play your checkers, but others will be playing chess.

 

[stick n move]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Amazon chooses Washington DC for HQ2......

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2018/11...-washington/axEFMDWG0NKRroCOdsNMrI/story.html

Boston should have won easily; except it was determined to be a 2nd rate, shadow-restricted, nimby stranglehold, w/ its future delineated by crushing debt, moribund public unions, and challenged infrastructure....

With a united front type presentation, South Station area or the West End could have won in a landslide–except, there existed no set development parameters (re; skyscraper plan) to help business understand the capacity of Downtown Boston...

& BNSF ain't walking through that door to run our woeful, crumbling, rail transportation network.... and not enough nimby's have been exiled to New Bedford.

The Suffolk Downs proposal was someone's version of a great idea.... Unfortunately it wasn't (Amazon's) version of a great idea, or anyone possessing a clear view of reality. It doesn't come as a surprise to those who derided this crazy idea, and warned of its delusion–from the beginning.


*The BNSF reference; When NASA began killing its astronauts, an independent council determined drastic changes in it's management structure and philosophy was needed.

Who the hells opinion is that lol. What a joke...Thats a bunch of garbage. Anyways good riddance, take it or leave it they needed us well be just fine without them. I dont care too much for 1 single company taking up an entire neighborhood really, thats too close to those Toyota factory cities for me. Amazon is a bunch of slave drivers anyways we dont need that uptick in suicides, seriously they get paid horrendously while Bezos buys another yacht and they have trackers they have to wear that tell the company their every movement. They consistently get rated one of the lowest companies for employee well being. Well be juuuust fine without that pos company weve made it this far. Bezos will be closer to his cronies in DC anyways I bet that was 75% of the reason.

 

[TallIsGood]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

These aren’t warehouse jobs. . .

 

[shmessy]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Who the hells opinion is that lol. What a joke...Thats a bunch of garbage. Anyways good riddance, take it or leave it they needed us well be just fine without them. I dont care too much for 1 single company taking up an entire neighborhood really, thats too close to those Toyota factory cities for me. Amazon is a bunch of slave drivers anyways we dont need that uptick in suicides, seriously they get paid horrendously while Bezos buys another yacht and they have trackers they have to wear that tell the company their every movement. They consistently get rated one of the lowest companies for employee well being. Well be juuuust fine without that pos company weve made it this far. Bezos will be closer to his cronies in DC anyways I bet that was 75% of the reason.

I disagree with you on the company. Agree with you on the dangers of being a Company Town.

I'm quite glad that they already have thousands of very well paid workers in Boston/Cambridge.

.

 

[Gameguy326]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Amazon didn't even decide yet. They could be having advanced talks with multiple cities.

 

[odurandina]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Who the hells opinion is that lol. What a joke...Thats a bunch of garbage. Anyways good riddance, take it or leave it they needed us well be just fine without them. I dont care too much for 1 single company taking up an entire neighborhood really, thats too close to those Toyota factory cities for me. Amazon is a bunch of slave drivers anyways we dont need that uptick in suicides, seriously they get paid horrendously while Bezos buys another yacht and they have trackers they have to wear that tell the company their every movement. They consistently get rated one of the lowest companies for employee well being. Well be juuuust fine without that pos company weve made it this far. Bezos will be closer to his cronies in DC anyways I bet that was 75% of the reason.

i want an 840 foot Skyscraper with Amazon written in big letters..... so me and my anti-communist buddies can have catered supper looking down on the peasants who voted in socialism, nancy, chuck, hillary and all the rest.

so there.

 

[shmessy]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

i want an 840 foot Skyscraper with Amazon written in big letters..... so me and my anti-communist buddies can have catered supper looking down on the peasants who voted in socialism, nancy, chuck, hillary and all the rest.

so there.

What about the shadows?

 

[Gameguy326]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

i want an 840 foot Skyscraper with Amazon written in big letters..... so me and my anti-communist buddies can have catered supper looking down on the peasants who voted in socialism, nancy, chuck, hillary and all the rest.

so there.

Can you please stop shitposting?

 

[KentXie]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

i want an 840 foot Skyscraper with Amazon written in big letters..... so me and my anti-communist buddies can have catered supper looking down on the peasants who voted in socialism, nancy, chuck, hillary and all the rest.

so there.

Who are you trying to kid? We all know you don't have any friends.

Btw Amazon is liberal so if anything, you're the one being looked down upon.

 

[Jouhou]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Who are you trying to kid? We all know you don't have any friends.

Btw Amazon is liberal so if anything, you're the one being looked down upon.

To be fair I think Bezos himself is ideologically libertarian (not conspiracy theorist right winger) but the employees are so liberal they make Boston residents look conservative.

 

[odurandina]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Boston’s dreams of Amazon glory fade

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...-glory-fade/BwX0dxsiNT6vdaiHzmyqLI/story.html

By Larry Edelman GLOBE STAFF NOVEMBER 05, 2018

HQ2 Watch: Has Boston's dream of winning the bake-off for Amazon's second headquarters died?

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that the company is in "advanced talks" with Crystal City, Va., for the project, which promises $5 billion in investment and up to 50,000 jobs.

Crystal City is just across the Potomac from the District of Columbia and has a ton of big office complexes, thanks mostly to its close proximity to the the nation's capital and Reagan National Airport. The D.C. area has long been seen as having an edge because Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns a big house there -- and a big newspaper, yup, the Post.

It's not a done deal. Amazon remains in various stages of discussions with other cities including New York and Dallas, according to The Wall Street Journal. Massachusetts and Boston officials haven't heard from Amazon recently, according to the Globe's Tim Logan....
contd

 

[stellarfun]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

The WSJ also said "Some also believe Amazon may announce plans to place smaller operations in runner-up locations."

No mention in the article of Boston, at all.

The three WSJ reporters writing the article are in WSJ offices in San Francisco, somewhere in the Middle Atlantic states, and Dallas. (The Dallas reporter generally covers education. The Middle Atlantic reporter is a general assignment reporter, the San Francisco reporter basically covers Amazon. Three contributing reporters cover Chicago, small town america and Southern politics, and New York commercial real estate,)
____________________

I will still go with my guess that HQ2 will never be 50,000 employees and 8+ million square feet, but something perhaps half that.

The median tenure for a tech employee at Amazon is one year.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...ech-professionals-high-turnover/#a3ff3fe42014

There are probably less than a handful of metro areas that have a tech ecosystem that can support 50,000 Amazon employees many/most of whom leave Amazon after two years. The 'problem' with Metro DC is that non-government jobs often require high-level security clearances, and/as these are government contracts with deliverables and schedules. This impinges employee mobility, and employers' are certainly not eager to hire people who are continually jumping ship in a gig economy.

 

[Coyote137]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Listen, the idea that Bezos would pass up being right near the damn White House and Capitol Hill is ridiculous. That's where the power is. There may be smaller little mini-HQs elsewhere, but DC was always going to have a huge leg up simply because of the friggin' power to shape regulations/taxes/etc.

 

[statler]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

^^ Exactly. It was probably always DC. They were just trying to get the best package.

 

[fattony]

Re: Suffolk Downs Redevelopment

Listen, the idea that Bezos would pass up being right near the damn White House and Capitol Hill is ridiculous. That's where the power is. There may be smaller little mini-HQs elsewhere, but DC was always going to have a huge leg up simply because of the friggin' power to shape regulations/taxes/etc.

What sense does that make? Then why wasn't Amazon HQ1 in DC from day 1 or at least relocated there when Amazon became one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world? Why isn't everything in Silicon Valley in DC? Why isn't everything in NYC in DC? Your logic would suggest every company in the US or possibly the world would be headquartered in Crystal Freakin City, VA.

Really, having a large number of employees in physical proximity to Washington has nothing to do influencing policymakers, does it? Sure, K-Street is lined with lobbyists, but the companies themselves don't have to be in DC.

DC/NoVA won for all the same reasons Boston was a front runner. They just had to pick one. I doubt that proximity to federal employees or lawmakers factored in one iota.