Amazon: The Thread | 5,000 Jobs | 1M SQFT in Nashville Yards

[MLBrumby]

I don't recall seeing this (apologies if it was posted). From GS&P via Channel 5. 

[markhollin]

^ ^ ^ So, in the ever-changing fluidity of the building sizes, the diagram above shows the south tower  (Office Tower 1") at 25 stories above ground (22 above Church Street Viaduct), and the north tower ("Tower 2") at 28 stories above ground (25 above grade of Church Street Viaduct).   The south tower is listed as "Current Phase," meaning it will be the first to rise.  The north tower is earmarked as "Future Phase."

[TheRaglander]

Someone asked Adam Sichko this on Twitter and I thought it was an interesting question... if the Amazon/NY deal gets ugly, could they increase their footprint in Nashville?  Or perhaps just make the Virginia campus absorb the NY planned operations?

[smeagolsfree]

Wait, they may change their mind again before its done to 5 and 15, or to 40 and 45, or to 60 and 65. How many iterations are we going to see?

[LA_TN]

6 hours ago, markhollin said:

^ ^ ^ So, in the ever-changing fluidity of the building sizes, the diagram above shows the south tower  (Office Tower 1") at 25 stories above ground (22 above Church Street Viaduct), and the north tower ("Tower 2") at 28 stories above ground (25 above grade of Church Street Viaduct).   The south tower is listed as "Current Phase," meaning it will be the first to rise.  The north tower is earmarked as "Future Phase."

South tower (20 stories):
20 levels above Church street
3 levels below Church street

North tower (24 stories):
18 levels office
1 level office amenities
3 levels flexible space
2 levels parking above Church street
3 levels parking below Church street
3 levels parking below grade

[Craiger]

I would assume the entire parking structure is part of the first phase though? Or maybe they are going to build the south tower first and not go below grade to get it up quicker? 

[smeagolsfree]

I would think logistically speaking it would behoove them to do the entire base at the same time. The have fenced or are fencing the entire site off with equipment on the entire site.

[titanhog]

5 hours ago, TheRaglander said:

Someone asked Adam Sichko this on Twitter and I thought it was an interesting question... if the Amazon/NY deal gets ugly, could they increase their footprint in Nashville?  Or perhaps just make the Virginia campus absorb the NY planned operations?

Thing is, Nashville is such a vibrant city with a very good business-friendly climate.  I would imagine once Amazon plants roots here, it will only grow, as long as the political climate in TN and Nashville stays similar to how it is now regarding businesses.

[dReAmWiELdEr]

I have a feeling amazon is just testing the water here in Nashville to see how things go and how Nashville handles them coming here. I think they have much bigger plans for Nashville once they see we can handle it. That’s just what I think they are up to.

My intuition as been telling me the same thing all along.

[TheRaglander]

43 minutes ago, titanhog said:

Thing is, Nashville is such a vibrant city with a very good business-friendly climate.  I would imagine once Amazon plants roots here, it will only grow, as long as the political climate in TN and Nashville stays similar to how it is now regarding businesses.

I think so too.  But I am more referring to the direct fallout of NY pushing out the current Amazon HQ plans there.  Could Amazon take that massive allotment and just come here instead?

[PruneTracy]

7 minutes ago, TheRaglander said:

I think so too.  But I am more referring to the direct fallout of NY pushing out the current Amazon HQ plans there.  Could Amazon take that massive allotment and just come here instead?

They would probably go to Virginia, for the same reasons they didn't choose Nashville as the HQ2 location in the first place. But as @titanhog and @Buildtall note the existence of the operations center is a major foot in the door.

That being said, it would be entertaining to read some of the sour grapes from the coastals were Amazon to ditch NYC for Nashville. "Good riddance, let those inbred hillbillies have those high-paying tech jobs" (echoing the migration of auto plants to the South), etc. It would be even funnier if they did it for less incentives than New York is offering.

[e-dub]

Agree about this being Amazon's foot in the door here.

[markhollin]

Dave Clark, and executive from Amazon, was one of the primary speakers at the "Amazon: Live at the Ryman" event last night.  The company will begin hiring hundreds of people this year, Clark said, and expects to begin operating in the Nashville Yards site in 2021. While it is under construction, Amazon is leasing offices downtown for 1,000 individuals.

Clark, who attended University of Tennessee for graduate school and spent part of his childhood in Chattanooga, emphasized Amazon's commitment to the city, including helping address transportation and housing issues. The company's Nashville Yards site will be focused on bike and pedestrian flow, he said. "We are here for the long haul," Clark said. "We want to be part of that. We recognize the challenges.... We are committed to working with the city because we are going to live here.

Nashville jobs are already being posted on Amazon's site, and candidates can begin applying, Clark said. Jobs will be offered in a variety of roles and levels --- including engineers, data scientists, finance positions and others.

Students from Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, Nashville State Community College, Trevecca Nazarene University and Belmont University were among attendees. Amazon brought 75 recruiters to speak with students.

Mon-Cheri Robinson, assistant director of student activities at TSU, said the university brought 370 students to the Ryman on buses provided by Amazon.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2019/02/06/amazon-nashville-hub-live-at-the-ryman/2789765002/

And NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2019/02/07/brad-paisley-helps-amazon-put-on-a-show-at-the.html?iana=hpmvp_nsh_news_headline

 

[dxfret]

Could the strong opposition to Amazon in NYC mean more for Amazon in Nashville?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/facing-opposition-amazon-reconsiders-ny-headquarters-site-two-officials-say/2019/02/08/451ffc52-2a19-11e9-b011-d8500644dc98_story.html

[Craiger]

1 hour ago, dxfret said:

Could the strong opposition to Amazon in NYC mean more for Amazon in Nashville?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/facing-opposition-amazon-reconsiders-ny-headquarters-site-two-officials-say/2019/02/08/451ffc52-2a19-11e9-b011-d8500644dc98_story.html

I assume this was "leaked" as part of negotiations between Amazon and NY. 

"You sure wouldn't want us to take our 25k jobs somewhere else would you?"

[KJHburg]

On 2/5/2019 at 3:57 PM, TheRaglander said:

I think so too.  But I am more referring to the direct fallout of NY pushing out the current Amazon HQ plans there.  Could Amazon take that massive allotment and just come here instead?

I would think they might go right across the Hudson to NJ to tap into virtually the same labor market.  However I have said all along they need to break this huge office up and spread it to lots of cities that have strengths in the labor pool aka Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh etc. 

[titanhog]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I would think they might go right across the Hudson to NJ to tap into virtually the same labor market.  However I have said all along they need to break this huge office up and spread it to lots of cities that have strengths in the labor pool aka Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh etc. 

I agree with this.  Different hubs around the US about the size of what Nashville is getting (about 5000) makes a lot of sense.

[e-dub]

I'm still a little surprised they passed over Atlanta.

[titanhog]

Ok...let's play the "what if" game for a moment.  What if Amazon actually does pull out of NY?  Do they take 50k jobs to DC?  Or do they maybe go to their 3rd place city (not sure which city that is)?  Or...do they break it up into 2-3 cities, maybe even enlarging the footprint in Nashville?

I have to believe they look at Nashville as being able to handle 5000...but do they believe we could handle more than that?  If they decided to enlarge the footprint here...what's the most we could conceivably take without cratering?

[FrankNash]

Nashville being shovel ready could go a long way.

[The ATX]

I think they released the info about their unhappiness with NYC as a negotiating tactic.  But if they leave NYC I think they will move the jobs to two or three cities where they already have a large presence.  I really don't think they want to continue the circus with HQ3 - especially since Bezos himself is becoming a circus.

[BnaBreaker]

6 minutes ago, FrankNash said:

Nashville being shovel ready could go a long way.

Just triple or quadruple the height of those two main towers in Nashville Yards and ba-da-bing, you've got your solution right there Amazon!  

[titanhog]

59 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

Just triple or quadruple the height of those two main towers in Nashville Yards and ba-da-bing, you've got your solution right there Amazon!  

I smell what you're cookin'...and I like it! 

[nashwatcher]

Hope they send another 5-10k great paying jobs our way

[dReAmWiELdEr]

Hope they send another 5-10k great paying jobs our way

If they do, then I am very seriously considering moving back to Nashville Atlanta.

 

Edit: I was already actually considering it, but that would definitely be the “ok, it’s a no-brainer” lightbulb.