28 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 26, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
In pitch to attract Amazon, city touts Long
Island City’s transit and cultural benefi ts
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
When Amazon announced it was looking
for the perfect place to build its new
headquarters, elected offi cials all around
the country began furiously pitching their
cities and New York was no exception.
Mayor Bill de Blasio released the proposal
he is sending to try to attract the
retail giant to one of four sites in three
boroughs. Not surprisingly, Long Island
City is one of the neighborhoods included
in the proposal.
In his letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos,
which was co-signed by dozens of state
and city offi cials, de Blasio called the fi ve
boroughs “hives of ingenuity.” He also
argued that the city has the most important
resource Amazon needs – talent.
“Th ere are more New Yorkers with
a bachelor’s degree or above than in
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle,
Washington, D.C., and Atlanta combined.
We are home to industry leaders in tech,
law, media and medicine,” he wrote in the
letter. “And we are making sure that the
next generation of New Yorkers is prepared
for the 21st-century economy by
integrating computer science education at
every level of the academic pipeline.”
Amazon is expected to invest more
than $5 billion to construct
its second North
American headquarters,
dubbed HQ2,
which they argue will
create about 50,000
high-paying jobs.
They’re looking to
build an 8.1-millionsquare
foot facility in
an area that is close
to public transportation,
has access to talent
and amenities for
its employees.
Of the 15 proposals
submitted by elected
offi cials and business
leaders, the city
chose four to present
to Amazon – Midtown
West, Long Island
City, Brooklyn Tech
Triangle and Lower Manhattan. Th ese
proposals were chosen because they met
two key criteria: they have the square
footage available for development and are
close to public transportation and major
airports.
In the proposal, Long Island City was
described as a “creative, mixed-use neighborhood”
and “the city’s industrial innovation
center.”
Its proximity to JFK Airport, LaGuardia
Airport, Penn Station and Grand Central
were touted along with its variety of
restaurants, bars, museums and other cultural
institutions. Th e neighborhood also
has more than 13 million square feet of
“fi rst-class real estate,” according to the
proposal.
In a previous interview, Th omas Grech,
the executive director of the Queens
Chamber of Commerce, said that Queens
is exactly what Amazon is looking for.
“Based upon the RFI that Amazon has
put out there, I think in every single one of
the categories Queens fi ts the bill,” he said.
Th ough the headquarters would bring
thousands of jobs, cities are off ering large
tax breaks to the company that is valued at
$500 billion. Some are criticizing the company’s
tactics and are arguing that this
bidding process is a way to seek out a city
that would provide them with the heft iest
tax incentives.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is off ering
the company $7 billion in city and
state tax incentives while Chula Vista in
California is off ering the company around
$400 million in tax breaks.
Greg Leroy, executive director of Good
Jobs First, a national policy center that
aims to promote government and corporate
accountability, pointed out that
wherever the company decides to build its
HQ2, an infl ux of 50,000 new employees
may be a burden on public infrastructure
and the tab may be picked up by taxpayers
if Amazon is awarded massive tax breaks.
“More families arriving means more
teachers to hire; more classrooms, roads,
water mains and sewerage to build;
more public safety to provide; and more
trash to pick up. All of those things cost
money,” he wrote in Fast Company. “But
if Amazon is paying no sales tax, no
property tax, no income tax, and is getting
cash gift s from its employees and/
or the state treasury by selling tax credits,
then Amazon won’t be bearing those
new costs.”
New York City offi cials have said the
company will not be eligible for any special
incentives beyond what is available to
other companies.
“We are competing to bring Amazon
here because it means tens of thousands of
high-paying jobs for New Yorkers,” said
Melissa Grace, deputy press secretary for
the Economic Development Corporation.
“As the mayor has said, this isn’t a race to
the bottom for us. New York City’s talented
workforce, diverse economy and
strong neighborhoods are our selling
points — not big discretionary tax benefi
ts.”
Amazon will announce the winning city
sometime next year.
Photos via NYC Amazon proposal
Long Island City is among four neighborhoods that the city has pitched
to become the home of Amazon’s second headquarters.
ADVERTORIAL
America China Hotel Association
Premiere Hotel Gala to be held Nov. 8
On November 8, the America China
Hotel Association Corp. will be honoring
top-tier hoteliers and real estate and
development professionals.
Th e Association’s Premiere Annual
Gala will take place at Terrace on the
Park from 5 to 10 p.m.
With networking, a trade show, dinner,
and an awards ceremony, the evening
will pay tribute to Founder’s
Awards recipients John Lam, Chairman
and Chief Executive Offi cer, Lam Group;
Peter Wong, President, KSSNY Inc.;
William Su, owner, Wyndham Garden
Chinatown; and Derek Law, Founder
and Vice Chairman, America China
Hotel Association Corp.
Th e Outstanding Hotel Award will
go to Sam Chang, Founder/Owner,
McSam Hotel Group LLC; Ben Seidel,
President/CEO, Real Hospitality
Group; Gene Kaufman, Principal, Gene
Kaufman Architects, PC; Timothy
K.T. Chan, Senior VP & Manager,
Shanghai Commercial Bank; Bentley
Zhao, President, New Empire Corp.;
and Hung Luk, Chief Operating Offi cer,
Lam Group.
And the 2017 honorees, to be presented
with the Special Hotel Vendors
Award, are
Terry Tang, CEO, BCGA Concept
Corp.; Neil Locke, Owner, Neil Locke &
Associates; and
Deborah Herman, President, Fabric
Innovations.
“Th is event will gather some of the
leaders of the hotel, as well as related,
industries,” said honoree Derek Law,
Founder and Vice Chairman of the
America China Hotel Association Corp.
“We look forward, as an Association
that aims to strengthen the greatness of
Chinese hotels, to honoring these individuals.”
Event sponsors include Akerman
LLP, HK BCGA Concept Corp.,
Beauty Beauty Int’l School, Broadtrade
Group, Cathay Bank, Citibank,
China Lesso Group Holdings
Limited, CL Insurance Agency Inc.,
East West Bank, Fabric Innovations,
Division Builders Inc.; Federal Standard
Abstract, Inc.; FLYP Sportwear
Inc; Flushing Bank; Gene Kaufman
Architect, P.C.; Global Bank; Glorious
Sun Group; Kssny Inc; Lam Group;
Leon Hotel; McSam Hotel Group LLC;
Neil Locke & Associates; New Empire
Corp.; Real Hospitality Group; Shanghai
Commercial Bank; Solco Plumbing
Supply Inc.; United Orient Bank; Wells
Fargo Bank; and the Wyndham Hotel.
One hundred percent of the raffl e proceeds
from the evening will be donated
to the children’s programming at
Flushing Town Hall.
Tickets and sponsorships are still
available. To learn more, call 718 224
5863, ext 227.
ADVERTORIAL
‘Rise and Revise’
Come out November 6 and Power-Up
with the People.
Join your New York neighbors and
GET OUT THE VOTE for one of the
most historic gatherings in New York
State history.
From 7 to 9 pm, at the Midtown Loft
& Suites, 267 5th Avenue, Th e New York
People’s Convention will rally for a “Yes”
vote.
Show up and bring your friends as we
begin our collective journey into the year
of YES with exciting speakers, special
invited celebrity guest, tons of inspiration
and loads of fun.
Just announced – keynote speaker
Shaun King.
King is a tireless advocate for social,
racial, and economic justice nationwide
and at home in New York, using his platforms
at the Intercept, Harvard’s Fair
Punishment Project, Th e New York Daily
News and across social media to educate
readers and to take on discriminatory
policies. His activism was instrumental
in securing support for New York’s Raise
the Age legislation and he continues to
expose deep injustices in the criminal justice
system - particularly as they aff ect
young people of color.
Space is limited.
With your pledge to vote YES on
Proposition 1 #YesOn1, come stand
with us! RSVP today by calling 718 224
5863 ext 227. You can also go to https://
www.eventbrite.com/e/ny-peoples-convention
pre-vote-rally-in-nyc-tickets
39000803453 to reserve your spot.
To learn more, go to Facebook, www.
facebook.com/nypeoplesconvention;
Twitter @PeopleVoteYES; and Instagram
@PeopleVoteYes.