With talks of the possibility that the city could rescind its deal to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to New York City, one Newark organization is saying their invitation to take the online retailer is still open.
The Newark Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to economic revitalization in Newark, says Amazon is welcome to come to the Brick City if plans for the controversial headquarters in Long Island City, Queens fall through. The company has been criticized by New York City Council members over a $3 billion incentive from the city and not giving paying jobs to local residents.
“Our goal is to make sure we keep it in the region,” Newark Alliance President and CEO Aisha Glover said in one published interview. “We have reached out to express that our incentives on the state and city side have been passed, so there’s more opportunity for them to be welcomed with ease.”
Newark was one of the 20 cities in the running to get Amazon’s HQ2 before the company decided to go to New York and Northern Virginia. In 2017, then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie offered Amazon $7 billion in potential tax incentives and 50,000 jobs if the company came to the Garden State. A rendering of the proposed campus featured a redeveloped downtown and waterfront area.
Several major corporations already call Newark home, including IDT Corporation, Audible.com and Panasonic. In November, Mayor Ras Baraka said the attention over the possibility that Amazon could come to Newark caught the eye of other major corporations to come to the city.
“News that Newark was a finalist highlighted our key advantages: proximity to New York City at a more affordable cost, access to mass transportation, a talent pool fed by half a dozen colleges and an internet infrastructure that allows Newark to offer the fastest and broadest free outdoor Wi-Fi in the country, development opportunities including land with riverfront and park views and our diversity, a large African-American and Hispanic population,” Baraka said.
