Amazon Looking for a new HQ - Detroit-Windsor Bid Rejected

[southen]

The only thing at this point that could be a deal breaker is the transit, but DG may be able to paint a picture of a more transit friendly Detroit.

From what I read phase one of the HQ needs to be 800k square feet. That just so happens to be the footage of Monroe Block that will put shovels in the ground early next year. It would be easy and quick for Amazon to step into that building. They could build out the rest of the site as planned for Monroe or they could alter it to reflect future needs for the company.

I believe I also read that Amazon stated the site doesn't have to be contiguous. It looks like they would prefer to be in an urban setting and understand having that much land available would be tricky. If you were to say put them at Monroe Block then in a cluster of buildings along the riverfront where GM and DG are planning things I have no doubt they would be fine with that arrangement. I also doubt many other cities could offer up prime riverfront property for them as well.

I would be shocked if their interest in the Detroit area included places like the Silverdome or Palace site. Every indication for me is that this is a company that understands what young tech workers are looking for and it isn't going to be found far out in the suburbs.

[emu steve]

The only thing at this point that could be a deal breaker is the transit, but DG may be able to paint a picture of a more transit friendly Detroit.

From what I read phase one of the HQ needs to be 800k square feet. That just so happens to be the footage of Monroe Block that will put shovels in the ground early next year. It would be easy and quick for Amazon to step into that building. They could build out the rest of the site as planned for Monroe or they could alter it to reflect future needs for the company.

I believe I also read that Amazon stated the site doesn't have to be contiguous. It looks like they would prefer to be in an urban setting and understand having that much land available would be tricky. If you were to say put them at Monroe Block then in a cluster of buildings along the riverfront where GM and DG are planning things I have no doubt they would be fine with that arrangement. I also doubt many other cities could offer up prime riverfront property for them as well.

I would be shocked if their interest in the Detroit area included places like the Silverdome or Palace site. Every indication for me is that this is a company that understands what young tech workers are looking for and it isn't going to be found far out in the suburbs.

For the first [[or second) time, I completely agree with you.

When one looks at the available 'blocks' in downtown Detroit it isn't too hard to come up with a nice assortment of blocks. All could be within walking or shuttle distance of each other.

And I really wonder if mass transit is a deal breaker for Detroit? In Detroit most of the big assets are located along the QLine. It isn't like employees will be attending meetings all over the city.

DTW isn't too far away and who knows CYA could be more utilized.

If the educational status of the workforce is a key criteria, then having UofM 35 miles away is a big plus. UofM is a world-class university and I'd guess that Amazon would salivate to pick the cream of the UofM crop. And, of course, Wayne State would be a few miles away and that gives them access to the R&D expertise there. A business school say a mile from the headquarters building.

Something not discussed: Climate. Detroit's climate is a lot harsher than Seattle's. Don't know how Bezos feels about sub-zero temps.

[313WX]

I believe I also read that Amazon stated the site doesn't have to be contiguous.

That's a very good point.

While everyone's focused on trying to find his huge piece of contiguous land that Amazon can build some suburban-esque structures on, in Seattle, their "headquarters" consists of multiple high rises scattered throughout the city.

As I said earlier, plop down a few 40-60 story buildings around the Lafayette Block and/or Bricktown then we can call it a day.

[Bham1982]

Every indication for me is that this is a company that understands what young tech workers are looking for and it isn't going to be found far out in the suburbs.

The biggest concentration of young tech workers on earth is Silicon Valley, which couldn't be more suburban. The vast majority of young tech workers live and work in sprawl.

Also, not sure why an Amazon back office would necessarily skew young or tech-oriented. This expansion will never be the central office, with the executive functions.

[iheartthed]

The biggest concentration of young tech workers on earth is Silicon Valley, which couldn't be more suburban. The vast majority of young tech workers live and work in sprawl.

Also, not sure why an Amazon back office would necessarily skew young or tech-oriented. This expansion will never be the central office, with the executive functions.

Well, first, Amazon is not located in Silicon Valley.

Second, tech companies in Silicon Valley have been fighting a competitive disadvantage to their suburban locations by offering things like shuttle services from San Francisco.

Third, they are doing so because most of the large tech companies that are less than 20 years old are actually in urban locations.

[Richard]

Well, first, Amazon is not located in Silicon Valley.

Second, tech companies in Silicon Valley have been fighting a competitive disadvantage to their suburban locations by offering things like shuttle services from San Francisco.

Third, they are doing so because most of the large tech companies that are less than 20 years old are actually in urban locations.

That is the irony of it all,they place demands of walkability and things that they want for their workers or what they prefer,but do not provide it when they locate or take it into account.

It seems to be more PR then anything else.

[iheartthed]

That is the irony of it all,they place demands of walkability and things that they want for their workers or what they prefer,but do not provide it when they locate or take it into account.

It seems to be more PR then anything else.

Well Amazon wouldn't be a hypocrite since they did do this in Seattle. They essentially gentrified a relatively run down part of Seattle on their own.

As for Silicon Valley, all of the big companies that are roughly 12 years or older are anchored to Silicon Valley. The newer boom companies are in San Francisco. For instance, Twitter, Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, among others, are all in San Francisco. Almost none of the new stars since the financial crisis were founded in, or are located in, Silicon Valley.

[Don K]

Interesting article in the WaPo indicating that a state's or region's attitude towards LGBT people is at least a factor in the final decision

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...=.97cfe3620ca0

This is one of those intangibles that can't be reduced to dollars and cents [[along with, e.g., quality of schools, physical environment, quality of infrastructure) that is part of any forward-looking corporation's decision-making process). Now SEMI can't do anything about the fact it's mostly flat and boring and you have to drive 4-5 hours to find any decent scenery, but the other factors are entirely under the control of government, and the present administration's single-minded focus on low taxes has blinded them to the importance of the things government can do, such as ensure a healthy environment. I mean, nothing says concern for the environment quite like "We'll poison our own citizens to save a few bucks on taxes", right? Or like "We'll allow the Canadians to have a shortcut for transporting oil to Canada's east that is likely to leak and poison the water supply for most of the state". And I'm sure the reaction of the search team to SEMI's roads was, "WTF dudes? Is this the best you can do?"

As I said upthread, I'm pretty sure Amazon had a pretty good idea of where they wanted to locate, and the search process was mostly a means to extract more tax concessions, but having said that, the Detroit area and Michigan in general have many drawbacks that could be corrected.

[Richard]

Well Amazon wouldn't be a hypocrite since they did do this in Seattle. They essentially gentrified a relatively run down part of Seattle on their own.

As for Silicon Valley, all of the big companies that are roughly 12 years or older are anchored to Silicon Valley. The newer boom companies are in San Francisco. For instance, Twitter, Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, among others, are all in San Francisco. Almost none of the new stars since the financial crisis were founded in, or are located in, Silicon Valley.

Which is true but they provide these lists of what they prefer but are already located smack dab in the middle of what they oppose but their presence contributes to the very thing they want to get away from,but they did not really do anything to improve the conditions while they were there.

I agree with The above post on this regarding it was about bidding verses a list.

When you look at the future path they are wanting to go I still think Detroit would have been a logical choice considering the technology side of it,the rest of the ills get better with time.

But the dark side of that would have been a rapid growth that would have split the differences in the city in half and left a lot with no where to go,as it is,a slow thought out process that includes everybody is probably the better route to go.It just does not come fast enough for some.

[bust]

Which is true but they provide these lists of what they prefer but are already located smack dab in the middle of what they oppose but their presence contributes to the very thing they want to get away from,but they did not really do anything to improve the conditions while they were there.

Are you aware Amazon is in downtown Seattle, not Silicon Valley?

They are smack dab in the middle of a city that has made transit alternatives to cars a high priority, and Amazon is leading that charge.

"The idea of inhabiting the sort of self-contained suburban corporate parks so common in Silicon Valley seems anathema to Amazon. The company has said that 20 percent of its employees in Seattle don’t use motorized transport to get to work. Fifty-five percent walk, ride bikes or use public transportation. Fifteen percent live in the ZIP code where they work."

Following the [[Bike) Trail to Amazon’s Second Headquarters
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/b...mpetition.html

A columnist at Citylab said:

"I am hugely impressed by Amazon’s strong commitment to a walkable urban environment in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, where the company is finishing its new headquarters. Located right on the Seattle Streetcar line, the 1.7 million square feet of office space will comprise eleven separate buildings, including two historic buildings that are being adaptively reused. The company's new headquarters is distributed along a highly connected street grid amidst some 3,000 residential units and a large variety of shops and services, including 100,000 square feet of new ground-level retail within Amazon's own buildings. Using a location in the center of the Amazon buildings, I obtained an impressive "walker’s paradise" Walk Score of 98, supported by a "rider’s paradise" Transit Score of 90. That’s outstanding by any measure."

How Amazon Got the Urban Campus Right
https://www.citylab.com/life/2012/03...us-right/1485/

They funded protected bike lanes to help their employees bike to work. They've built thousands of bike stalls. 1,200 in just in three buildings alone.

And so on.

That was already 6 years ago. Amazon has since doubled down on their commitment to encouraging walkability. And Seattle has doubled down on transit.

Amazon's walkable urban campus was a very conscious design. They tout the many amenities it provides. This blog post they published goes into detail:

Amazon's Urban Campus Life
http://www.amazonianblog.com/2015/07...mpus-life.html

They believe their location in a lively, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood helps attract talent. Here is an article they wrote to promote it, directly on their employee recruitment site:

Amazon's Urban Campus
https://www.aboutamazon.com/working-...s-urban-campus

If you limited your comments to what you know there'd still be a lot.