There has been heavy speculation over where Amazon will — and should — break ground on its second headquarters, dubbed “Amazon HQ2,” which would host approximately 50,000 employees. A recent report hints that Amazon may be setting its sights on Atlanta.
Amazon recently registered a lobbyist with the Georgia State Ethics Commission, before the start of the state’s legislative session in January 2018, according to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, the e-Commerce giant tried to shoot down the rumors in a statement: “This work is ongoing and not related to our search for HQ2.”
The lobbyist, Jacob Oster, registered with the commission on Dec. 7, but it is unclear what issues he will address with Georgia lawmakers. Oster’s background, which includes government relations, public policy, clean energy and technology, according to his LinkedIn profile, suggests that his presence is likely related to Amazon’s renewable power push.
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For instance, AWS has committed to 100% renewable energy use for its worldwide operations, with the goal to have 50% of its operations powered by renewable sources by the end of 2017. Amazon also wants to deploy solar arrays on more than 50 of its distribution or fulfillment centers by 2020, according to its web site.
Atlanta still appears to be a prime candidate for HQ2. The city checks several boxes for Amazon: it has 130,000 workers in the technology sector, at least one million residents and hosts a public research university within city lines (Georgia Tech).
Attorney Steven Polivy, Chair of the Economic Development and Incentives Practice at Akerman LLP, noted in a prior interview with Retail TouchPoints that a highly trained tech workforce will be a critical factor in the winning city’s bid.
“Amazon is going to go where they see the best workforce available now, and where they see that they can recruit the best workforce to move to,” Polivy said. “They also will be looking for a city that can grow to accommodate Amazon’s needs. Additionally, the company’s presence will create demand for other companies that will want to be located near Amazon. These will be companies that do things that are complementary to Amazon’s businesses, which go beyond retail to include fulfillment, cloud services, streaming entertainment services, etc. You’ll see people needed who are in the graphic arts and advertising, for example.”
In Amazon’s RFP, the company wrote that the headquarters would require 500,000 to 750,000 square feet immediately and up to 8 million square feet by 2027. This fall, Atlanta-based developers and local governments submitted approximately 70 sites to state officials, according to the Associated Press.
The Gulch — a 120-acre area with railroads and parking lots in Downtown Atlanta — would be the city’s primary site for HQ2.
Georgia officials anticipate Amazon will begin site visits before the end of the year, with Amazon expected to make its selection early in 2018.
