Is the Raleigh region out of the running for Amazon’s headquarters? We asked NC officials.
North Carolina officials say they still consider the Triangle a competing site for Amazon’s second headquarters despite a Washington Post report Saturday that points to the massive project landing close to the nation’s capitol.
Beth Gargan, a state commerce department spokeswoman, said her boss, Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland, has not been told that the Triangle is out of the running for the Amazon expansion, which could bring as much as 50,000 jobs to the winner. The Triangle is one of 20 finalists that also include Austin, Atlanta and Nashville.
Gargan said Amazon remains an “active project” in North Carolina, which means much of the details regarding what the state is offering to lure the company remain under wraps.
She said she did not know when state officials last talked with Amazon or if they will reach out to the company following the Post’s report.
Amazon has said it plans to announce the new headquarters this year, which means the company now has less than 60 days to make a decision. The company has said it would invest $5 billion in the new headquarters.
State lawmakers in 2017 created a new level of economic incentives for “transformative projects” that bring in at least 5,000 jobs and $4 billion in investment. The state could provide full refunds on their tax bills, and money to help develop the sites.
Amazon has said that economic incentives will be an important factor in its decision.
The Triangle has earned high grades for its workforce and research universities, but it’s taken some hits for a lack of mass transit beyond buses.
Mike Grella, an economic development director at Amazon, wasn’t happy about the Washington Post story, Bloomberg reported. In a series of tweets, Grella shared his thoughts on the reports about where Amazon’s second headquarters would be. One tweet read, in part, “You’re not doing Crystal City, VA any favors. And stop treating the NDA you signed like a used napkin.”
In other tweets, Grella took aim at a report that linked the possible second HQ to where CEO Jeff Bezos’ plane travels. “The search team has earned his trust and the highest use of his time isn’t looking at vacant buildings and land — he has a company to run,” one of the tweets says.
Apple is also weighing another major expansion away from its Silicon Valley home, and is looking at Research Triangle Park. That could be another “transformative project” for the state and it too remains an active one for North Carolina, Gargan said.
This story was originally published November 3, 2018 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Is the Raleigh region out of the running for Amazon’s headquarters? We asked NC officials.."