New York power players, including real estate boss, pen grovelling open letter to Amazon after Long island HQ2 plans are dropped.
The president of real estate company Tishman Speyer has joined 78 New York power players to sign an open letter begging Amazon to reconsider its decision to abandon its plans to locate part of its HQ2 in Long Island.
Rob Speyer was one of the signatories on the letter, alongside the chairman of Morgan Stanley, the chief executive of Deliotte and a number of congressmen, conceding: “New Yorkers do not want to give up on the 25,000 permanent jobs, 11,000 union construction and maintenance jobs and $28bn in new tax revenues that Amazon was prepared to bring to our state.”
The letter, addressed to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos follows a controversial announcement earlier this month that Amazon will no longer be opening a $2.5bn HQ in Long Island City in New York after public opposition.
Click here to read the letter in full >>
The online retail giant withdrew plans just three months after it was mooted that HQ2 would be split between Long Island City and Northern Virginia.
“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,” said a spokesman.
“For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long term.
“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.”
The grovelling open letter released today asks Bezos to rethink the decision, promising that New York governor Andrew Cuomo will “take personal responsibility for the project’s state approval”, before closing with a simple plea: “We are a dynamic new centre of the country’s most inclusive tech economy. We all hope you reconsider and join us in building the exciting future of New York.”
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