Amazon HQ2

[Miesian Corners]

Just now, Dale said:

And stripping data from wannabe cities.

Bingo!

[Dale]

1 minute ago, CarolinaDaydreamin said:

Atlanta is certainly better from a logistical aspect. Biggest Airport in the world, Delta's HQ, UPS HQ, Norfolk Southern's HQ (along with a huge tract of land in the center of DT next to 4 subway lines), and recent announcement of Amazon's logistics hub. I think Amazon felt slighted with the outgoing GA LT Gov's slap on the wrist of Delta's policial stance on gun control. 

I think at the end of the day Tennessee was more shrewd in its negotiations and incentive packages. Nashville over Austin, Dallas, and Atlanta is suprising in multiple ways. 

If that was the reason they spurned Atlanta and then chose one of the Redest states in the nation ...

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

4 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

I don't think anyone was ever actually in the running at all. Amazon got what it wanted from day one: attention.

I called it the Chamber of Commerce Willy Wonka Golden ticket contest. It was really just a fixed decision the whole time. 

[deleted]

29 minutes ago, Dale said:

If that was the reason they spurned Atlanta and then chose one of the Redest states in the nation ...

And NY and Northern VA...not exactly Republican strongholds.  And Nashville is pretty liberal.

[KJHburg]

In terms how this affects Charlotte Amazon might knock Nashville out as competition for relo prospects now.  Would other companies want to compete with Amazon in hiring?  Don't know but I would plant this thought in any relo  that is looking at Charlotte and other cities.   Wonder how Alliance Bernstein feels about this?  Though the jobs are not quite the same still creates competition for new talent.   

Edited November 13, 2018 by KJHburg

[SouthEndCLT811]

Hopefully for Nashville's sake Amazon actively invests/lobby again locally for improved mass transit.  Having spent time there recently I'm not sure how much more growth can be sustained before the roads reach a tipping point.

[KJHburg]

1 minute ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

Hopefully for Nashville's sake Amazon actively invests/lobby again locally for improved mass transit.  Having spent time there recently I'm not sure how much more growth can be sustained before the roads reach a tipping point.

I'm literally here in Nashville today and can tell you that tipping point has been reached.  Traffic with no real alternatives is a notch above metro Charlote's

[ajs]

9 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

In terms how this affects Charlotte Amazon might knock Nashville out as competition for relo prospects now.  Would other companies want to compete with Amazon in hiring?  Don't know but I would plant this thought in any relo  that is looking at Charlotte and other cities.   Wonder how Alliance Bernstein feels about this?  Though the jobs are not quite the same still creates competition for new talent.   

 

I've been under the impression that AB is mostly (for now) moving existing employees here, while AMZN will probably be more new hires.

 

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

2 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I'm literally here in Nashville today and can tell you that tipping point has been reached.  Traffic with no real alternatives is a notch above metro Charlote's

Its a smaller sized with similar density. I think Nashville would be pretty receptive to mass transit, from a spacial perspective, but its gonna be a while before they can implement it. Actually is quite similar to Austin in size and layout. 

[SouthEndCLT811]

22 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I'm literally here in Nashville today and can tell you that tipping point has been reached.  Traffic with no real alternatives is a notch above metro Charlote's

I've been driving from the Metro Center about 20 miles west of downtown daily so I have only experienced the reverse commute.  Only going for dinner I typically wait it out till after the peak of traffic so I don't see too much, only hearsay from my client.

I'm also here today!

[15895]

It’s nashvilles turn in the spotlight. 

 

First it was Charlotte. Then Austin. Now Nashville. Charlotte and Austin are booming more than ever - if not much more impressive than before the last recession. 

 

Nashville, Charlotte and Austin are 3 very different cities. Our growth, our development doesn’t seem to come at the cost of another . So, congrats to Nashville but it’s not at our expense.

 

IMO, Raleigh is our most direct competitor. Particilarlty for pro-sports. 

 

 

[Dale]

1 hour ago, JBS said:

And NY and Northern VA...not exactly Republican strongholds.  And Nashville is pretty liberal.

And Atlanta is more liberal than Nashville. And Tennessee is more conservative than Georgia.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Dale

[deleted]

1 hour ago, Dale said:

And Atlanta is more liberal than Nashville. And Tennessee is more conservative than Georgia.

Both accurate.  But you were specifically making the case that Atlanta was spurned for a very red state.  Based on the selections, it doesn't appear that politics had much (if anything) to do with Amazon's decisions.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

We are talking politics on a state level, similar to how HB2 impacted NC with PayPal. I know this quote below has nothing to do with Charlotte, but the perception of Georgia and NC from a state GOP level can't be ignored. 

 

When Amazon officials visited Atlanta for a tour and negotiations last March, many people still had a bad taste in their mouths from the Casey Cagle-Delta Air Lines debacle, in which the former lieutenant governor and then-gubernatorial candidate threatened to kill a tax break for jet fuel after the airline company announced it had severed ties with the National Rifle Association.

Gov. Nathan Deal had been marketing Georgia’s history as a great place to do business and assured Amazon execs that the feud was just politicking. But the gun debate certainly raised some eyebrows with Amazon reps about how Georgia politics could impact business down the line, according to the ABC.

[Crucial_Infra]

^ A total own goal by Georgia. As was HB2 here. 

[Dale]

22 minutes ago, JBS said:

Both accurate.  But you were specifically making the case that Atlanta was spurned for a very red state.  Based on the selections, it doesn't appear that politics had much (if anything) to do with Amazon's decisions.

That’s what I’m saying, Amazon is bull******** about spurning Georgia because the outgoing Lt Gov threatened Delta over eliminating NRA discounts.

12 minutes ago, Crucial_Infra said:

^ A total own goal by Georgia. As was HB2 here. 

Which didn’t even move the dial.

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I'm literally here in Nashville today and can tell you that tipping point has been reached.  Traffic with no real alternatives is a notch above metro Charlote's

At last check average rush hour commute time in Nashville is 24.3 minutes.

[kermit]

4 minutes ago, Dale said:

Which didn’t even move the dial.

based on what?

I suspect people hoping to work for Deutsche Bank, PayPal, CoStar or Amazon (to name a few) might disagree with you.

[Dale]

8 minutes ago, kermit said:

based on what?

I suspect people hoping to work for Deutsche Bank, PayPal, CoStar or Amazon (to name a few) might disagree with you.

Well sure, there was the high-profile virtue-signaling ... from entities which slinked back after the faux repeal. Otherwise, NC and Charlotte continued to go from strength to strength. Isn’t that something to celebrate ?

[kermit]

2 minutes ago, Dale said:

Well sure, there was the high-profile virtue-signaling ... from entities which slinked back after the faux repeal. Otherwise, NC and Charlotte continued to go from strength to strength. Isn’t that something to celebrate ?

"Virtue Signaling": Doing the right thing for (what you think) is the wrong reason.  I think your rhetoric rings hollow with the people hoping to get jobs at those firms. 

Strength to strength? Mecklenburg per capita income has been declining relative to the US average since 2008

[Dale]

9 minutes ago, kermit said:

"Virtue Signaling": Doing the right thing for (what you think) is the wrong reason.  I think your rhetoric rings hollow with the people hoping to get jobs at those firms. 

Strength to strength? Mecklenburg per capita income has been declining relative to the US average since 2008

Virtue-signaling is what you do when you have no character. 

But wait, it wasn’t HB2 that turned us into a banana republic ?

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Dale

[Tennessine]

Upon reading this discussion, everything y'all are saying about Nashville's traffic woes is completely true. It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, Amazon will have on another referendum. After today, I imagine a new plan will come to fruition much sooner.

[KJHburg]

59 minutes ago, nativetenn said:

Upon reading this discussion, everything y'all are saying about Nashville's traffic woes is completely true. It will be interesting to see what impact, if any, Amazon will have on another referendum. After today, I imagine a new plan will come to fruition much sooner.

I can second that as a visitor from Charlotte your traffic especially non rush hour is really busy.  But anyway here are photos of the 15 acre Nashville Yards site where a Hyatt hotel is going up along with the office buildings for Amazon.  It is a huge chunk of land formerly owned by the Southern Baptist that had their Lifeway publishing there and then sold all this land and built a brand new building.    Here is the Nashville Yards website   http://nashvilleyards.com/

Okay Amazon feels the way the sign says.   Last 2 photos of the Nashville Yards site as of today all demo done now the crane in the distance is the new Hyatt Hotel underway first building. 

Edited November 14, 2018 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

Round up from other markets about the Amazon decision from our ATL friends down south

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/11/13/georgia-leaders-react-to-hq2-atlanta-will-be-just.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-13&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542156609&j=85004381     and with Salesforce adding 600 jobs,  Starbucks 500, BlackRock 1000 jobs all the last 3 months the ATL will be fine.

Amazon incentives outlined from Crystal City Arlington County VA

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/11/13/virginias-win-of-amazon-hq2-wasnt-just-based-on.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-13&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542155234&j=85004651

from the Triangle Business  Journal subscriber story but holds true for Charlotte too in many ways:

""  “Not having to compete with Amazon in a high cost-of-living area is an advantage,” he says, noting that, while Distil has had success hiring in both D.C. and Raleigh, certain positions are much easier to fill in the Triangle. While D.C. has many candidates “fresh out of boot camp,” Raleigh has more seasoned technology veterans, he says.John Boyd, a site selection consultant with the Boyd Company of New Jersey, predicts other firms, too, will make those same observations, leading to additional interest in the area in the coming years. And he sees big opportunities for places such as Raleigh when it comes to public sector recruitment.  Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that, due to the high cost of doing business in D.C., it was seeking alternative sites for some of its research agencies. Boyd sees that trend continuing – and perhaps expediting the talent competition Amazon could bring in the coming years. “This puts another squeeze on the federal government’s ability to attract and retain workforce,” he predicts for D.C. “They won’t be able to compete at all with Amazon’s wage structures.”  He predicts tech-centric agencies, such as the National Weather Service, will look for D.C. alternatives – including places such as south Florida or the Carolinas. ""

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2018/11/13/how-amazon-competition-in-dc-and-new-york-could.html?ana=e_du_prem&s=article_du&ed=2018-11-13&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1542156167&j=85004641

Not all New Yorkers are thrilled to the say the least including a Congresswoman elect.  https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/backlash-already-mounting-over-amazon-s-choices-hq2-n935666

Edited November 14, 2018 by KJHburg

[SydneyCarton]

New York doesn't need this.   I love Charlotte, but NY is a city without a peer (in the US at least).  It has around ten buildings under construction over 1,000 feet, including the recently announced JPMC HQ, which may rise to 1,566' tall, thereby surpassing the 1,556' condo rising on 57th St.  That being said, this is still a huge affirmation for NY.  That an expansion this big went to the most expensive, most dense and crowded city in America says something for it.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Akkkkkshhhully the top 10 buildings under construction in NYC all average above 1200' 

(but hey, who's counting?)