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

[Binbin98]

Exactly! This list annoys me, I cannot fathom how Austin of all places has no stability?! Their tech pool is fantastic and the economy there has not slowed down. The only bad grade I'd give Austin would be in transit or location, and matter of fact transit isn't even a category on this list lmao

[KJHburg]

These lists that come out almost weekly are all meaningless. In terms of NC we have as much of a chance as Nashville which I think neither of us has a chance really. My bet has been from the get go Atlanta or a much larger city than either Charlotte, Nashville, Austin or Raleigh.    Amazon will need millions and millions of incentive dollars and a large enough labor pool to draw from.  The short list is coming out in early December and hopefully every city but 3 or 4 will be able to move on.  Major economic development deals are being held up to this decision making process and many companies do NOT want to go where Amazon HQ2 goes. 

[jtmonk]

6 hours ago, Binbin98 said:

Nowhere in North Carolina is going to get the Amazon headquarters. I know this because of the stupid anti-lgbt laws they pass in the local government over there. Regardless of your view on them they tend to keep liberal companies (such as Amazon from freaking Seattle of all liberal places) out due to the fact that the quality of life wont be the same for all workers under those laws. We are leaving this out of the equation, but I feel it really DOES make a difference, especially since places like Austin have similar or better tech talent then Raleigh and generally have a more liberal environment. Paypal backed out, why should Amazon follow the same path?

The local governments are not the ones passing these stupid laws, it's the General Assembly.  The local governments, i.e. Charlotte, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, etc., are very liberal and have worked very hard to get these laws overturned, the law that caused Paypal to back out has been repealed.  I will admit that NC's General Assembly may hurt NC's chance of getting Amazon but a lot of the nonsense that they passed a few years ago has been overturned.  Also, NC has historically been a pretty moderate state, the swing to the right that has happened in the state recently is the same thing that has happened in many other states as well as in the national government.   Politics is a pendulum, you'll see it swing one way then the other, it happens everywhere.  

As for the chances of NC landing Amazon, maybe when pigs fly.  I love NC but I'm on the same boat as KJHburg, Amazon will most likely choose a larger city such as Atlanta where they will have the available resources required for such a large undertaking.  Unfortunate I just don't think Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, or Austin are quite there yet.   

On another note, keep up the good work Nashville, you guys have a lot of awesome stuff going on over there!

[Binbin98]

I'm not getting political, I am just stating that NC policies were the reasons that Paypal pulled out of building a HQ2 (basically) in Charlotte that could have made charlotte and NC grow exponentially

[Guest]

There are multiple reasons involving politics we can all highlight which make certain localities more or less desirable for economic relocations/expansions/start-ups. PayPal may have decided not to locate in NC (though I believe a $3.4 million and 400 job location would not cause Charlotte to grow exponentially), but we all can cite major industries leaving high tax (read liberal controlled) state for lower-taxing locations. With the numerous variables Amazon is analyzing at each locale it is naive to believe one issue will land or eliminate consideration, IMO.

[smeagolsfree]

Not sure who deleted the first few but I deleted a few more. you guys just cant keep from pissing each other off and politics , religion, lifestyle choices, etc. tend to do it. Keep it on topic and rational without any TYPE of name calling what so ever.

 

This country is divided enough and it has to stop somewhere. Everyone thinks they are right. Agree to disagree.

 

If you get mad and leave the forum do it.

 

Its hard enough to read every thread and you guys do not make it easy sometimes.

We are down two moderators and because of all the bantering no one else wants the JOB!

[nightranger36]

I guess its kind of like how California bans state travel to our state and others.They can do that, but it'll probably bite them in the end.Amazon can do what they want,also. I wonder how much business they do in Carolina now if that's a concern for them?Money always wins out over a political stand for businesses from what I've seen.

[markhollin]

City and Chamber officials weighed a concept that would link 3 big urban projects (1: Tennessean site, 2: Nashville yards, 3: 5th & Broadway) with a streetcar and two bridges as they considered ideas for inclusion in the HQ2 proposals.  I had several similar ideas for tying together sites around SoBro.

Story is behind paywall:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/11/29/emails-what-a-downtown-nashville-campus-for-amazon.html
 

[nashvylle]

I am surprised River North was not considered as well. 

[markhollin]

^ ^ ^ I'm sure it was one of the options being discussed.  There are several areas all around downtown that could be developed for a campus or several tied-together.

[Guest]

This plan is creative and doable, kudos to the team who put the proposal together. We may not win Amazon HQ2, but with this out of the box thinking we will win more than our fair share of opportunities.

[FromParkAveToTN]

I'm predicting Amazon is going on the WES development site. I have a vision.  I see it coming.

[markhollin]

19 minutes ago, FromParkAveToTN said:

I'm predicting Amazon is going on the WES development site. I have a vision.  I see it coming.

In and of itself, that site would not be large enough, but there are quite a few other parcels to augment in the area surrounding that could probably be bought-up along the Church and Hayes Street corridors, including the Country Delight Dairy.  It was one of the neighborhoods that I also earmarked when looking over sites.  Besides River North, I think these have possibilities:

1) Eastern SoBro/Trolley Barns that could cover about 10 blocks. 

2) Southern SoBro/SoLa

3) The lots around Music City Circle spreading south and east

4) The Tennessean property, plus Gibson properties connected over to Nashville Yards and other properties along the Church and Commerce St. corridors.

5) About 10 blocks of area north of the new Criminal Justice Center stretching all the way up to Jefferson St.

[titanhog]

River North is perfect for them.  I doubt there's a more perfect plot of land for them in any city.  But...I do like the idea of the Tennessean / Lifeway / 5th&Broad combo.

[smeagolsfree]

I had already considered WES site if you add in all the Jim Reed and Beaman property. That equates to about 35 or so acres that could be available in the immediate area.

Not as far fetched as one would think.

[NashvilleObserver]

14 hours ago, markhollin said:

5) About 10 blocks of area north of the new Criminal Justice Center stretching all the way up to Jefferson St.

Amazon or not, this area is perfect for redevelopment... I know the focus is in SoBro now, but this area has MANY lots ripe for tear-don-rebuilds. It really is a gross area until you reach Germantown...

[Dale]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 10:51 AM, Binbin98 said:

I'm not getting political, I am just stating that NC policies were the reasons that Paypal pulled out of building a HQ2 (basically) in Charlotte that could have made charlotte and NC grow exponentially

Newsflash: Charlotte and NC grew exponentially during the duration of PayPal's hissy-fit.

[smeagolsfree]

7 hours ago, NashvilleObserver said:

Amazon or not, this area is perfect for redevelopment... I know the focus is in SoBro now, but this area has MANY lots ripe for tear-don-rebuilds. It really is a gross area until you reach Germantown...

Not as much left in this area as you think. The other issue is Metro will not consider High-rises for this area.  Believe it or not, there is only about three blocks that could be built on and the total acreage is only about 13 acres at the most.

[MidTenn1]

Because.....

... I now know some of my erudite comments on this subject are being read by some of the powers-that-be in Nashville and beyond, I am posting a copy of my response here to a grossly misinformed poster on another web site as related to hers/his comments regarding a misplaced statement as to "the lower tier status" of Nashville's University stock.

Quote

Just for the record,

Nashville does not have one large overshadowing institution, but rather it has an impressive number of unique Colleges and Universities which should measure up to what any other City can offer with regard to aggregate enrollment, variety and diversity. The City offers (including MTSU, 34 miles away) two law schools, two medical schools, three engineering schools, two pharmacy schools and multiple business and MBA options. The major Universities total 55,000+ enrollment.

Larger Universities include:

Vanderbilt (11,834) – (Private National University; 14th ranked college in academics in the USA; Medical, Law, Engineering, MBA degrees; 800 pound gorilla in Nashville, South Eastern Conference; 2nd largest employer)
Tennessee State University (9,027) – (State, Historically Black College, University {HBCU}); Engineering, Business; Ohio Valley Conference)
Belmont (6,293) – (Private; 5th ranked Regional Southern) Law, Pharmacy, MBA; Ohio Valley Conference)
Lipscomb (4,018) – (Private, Church of Christ Affiliation, Engineering, Pharmacy)
Meharry (831) – (HBCU; Private; Medical, Dental School)
Fisk (700) – (HBCU; Private; Planning, Business, Sciences; National class art collection)
Middle Tennessee State (22,050) – (State; 34 miles from Nashville, Business, MBA, Engineering technology; C-USA Athletics)
 

Newspapers, CofC, Mayor, feel free to cut and paste (with attribution to UP).  Drops mike.   

[smeagolsfree]

A black eye for Tennessee is the fact that Beretta is not able to find qualified workers for their new facility in Gallatin .  This does not bode well for the area and the are going out 500 miles to recruit. This was from a TN story last week.

I have a friend that works for a company in Metro Center and they cant find qualified IT workers for that company that will remain unnamed. They have part timers they cant even keep because as soon as they are hired someone else hires them paying more money.

The unemployment rate here is the lowest of any large Metro in the nation. That can be a curse as companies trying to hire people cant find workers and are scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Yes, that means more people moving here, but we can only absorb so many people at a time due to housing constraints.

As far as the universities go, we do not have a top notch engineering school such as GA Tech, MIT, Purdue, UT Austin. Vanderbilt ranks 53rd which is very poor when looking at an engineering school. Here is the source I used.https://www.graduateshotline.com/ranks/

Don't get me wrong, it would be great to get Amazon, but I just don't see it happening. We have a long way to go, to compete with some of our peer cities as far as the level of education goes. High school graduation rates are on the rise and the free tuition for the state tech schools is a great start, but we just hooked up to the IT train and we are right in front of the caboose.

You can always say build it and they will come, but if we get Amazon, then be prepared for much higher rents, higher home prices, more traffic, more people in your favorite restaurants, and I could keep going down the list.

 

[DeemonBruhn]

Exactly. People point to our city with incredibly low unemployment and insanely low vacancy rates as the sign of health. It isn’t healthy for the city to have zero room for growth.

[markhollin]

Nice post PHofKS.  Here are a few more to add to the list that are within 45 miles:

Austin Peay: 10,344
Tennessee Tech: 10,492
Volunteer State: 8,838
Travecca University: 3,100
Cumberland University: 1,500
Univ. of Phoenix Nashville Campus: 1,500
Art Institute of Tennessee: 700
I.T.T. Tech Institute of Nashville: 450
Aquinas College: 400
Argosy University: 400
Free Will Baptist: 350
Int. Academy of Design & Tech: 350
Watkins College of Art & Design: 300
Nosi College of Art: 250

TOTAL: 38,974

Add that with the 55,000 on your lest, and you have 94,000

[Hey_Hey]

Hopefully this data brings with it some upward pressure on wages. With unemployment rates as low as they are I would think wages will trend up which then opens Nashville to further transplanted residents. 

[NashRugger]

2 hours ago, markhollin said:

Nice post PHofKS.  Here are a few more to add to the list that are within 45 miles:

Austin Peay: 10,344
Tennessee Tech: 10,492
Volunteer State: 8,838
Travecca University: 3,100
Cumberland University: 1,500
Univ. of Phoenix Nashville Campus: 1,500
Art Institute of Tennessee: 700
I.T.T. Tech Institute of Nashville: 450
Aquinas College: 400
Argosy University: 400
Free Will Baptist: 350
Int. Academy of Design & Tech: 350
Watkins College of Art & Design: 300
Nosi College of Art: 250

TOTAL: 38,974

Add that with the 55,000 on your lest, and you have 94,000

You can take out I.T.T. as they went bankrupt due to some pretty messed up business practices.

[urbanplanet17]

Nashville has very fine universities, no doubt. But the fact is, compared to cities such as Austin, the size of the tech labor pool isn't nearly as large. Amazon did list a large tech labor pool as a requirement.

That said, Nashville has other things going for it that may convince Amazon to overlook that fault. In many ways, Nashville is a somewhat better candidate than Austin. Nashville has a better airport and better highway infrastructure to handle the growth HQ2 would bring with it. Nashville is also more centrally located, which means shorter drive / flight times to other major cities. And obviously, although Nashville may be limited in its tech labor pool locally, employers seem to have no problem attracting outside talent  if they really want to (due to the "IT" factor). 

That's why Nashville remains one of my dark horse candidate.

Edited December 8, 2017 by urbanplanet17