Amazon has dropped its plans for a second headquarters location in the Big Apple.
The much-ballyhooed HQ2 was originally envisioned as a complete dual headquarters complex, and had municipalities bending over backwards with lavish presentations and generous tax breaks to attract the tech company and its promised 50,000 new high-paying jobs.
After more than a year of auditions, New York and Northern Virginia were chosen to split the prize, and plans were about to proceed for a new facility in the Long Island City section of Queens.
But local opposition from New York residents and politicians gave Amazon second thoughts, and now the Big Apple endeavor has been cancelled and the second leg of the HQ2 project has been put on indefinite hold.
“After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens,” the company said in a statement. “While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
Instead, Amazon will proceed with plans for expanded offices, data center and staffing in Northern Virginia; open a previously announced operations hub in Nashville; and will continue to grow its current 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
As for its much-anticipated second second headquarters: “We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time,” Amazon said.
Related: Why The HQ2 Cities Suck
