Amazon is canceling its plan to build a corporate campus in New York City, the company announced Thursday. The decision comes following months of local criticism of the project, in which the company promised to bring more than 25,000 new jobs to Long Island City, Queens, while receiving roughly $3 billion in tax incentives from state and city governments.
Last November, Amazon chose locations in New York and Virginia for its “second headquarters,” dubbed HQ2, following a months-long competition in which dozens of cities vied for the honor. But critics in New York charged that the tax incentives given to one of the world’s most valuable companies were excessive and expressed concerns about the effect the new campus would have on the local community.
A company statement put the blame for its reversal squarely on the shoulders of local politicians who had questioned the deal: "While polls show that 70% 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."
Amazon said it does not plan to look for a replacement site.
