Amazon HQ2 Secures $51M Funding Vote In VA

Amazon.com’s plans to open its HQ2 in Virginia got the support of local officials who approved a financial package valued at $51 million over the weekend.

According to NBC News, the five-member Arlington County Board voted unanimously to approve the financial incentives despite some opposition to the package. The board held a seven-hour meeting that included 150 citizens, union representatives and advocacy groups slated to speak, reported NBC News.

Late last year Amazon chose National Landing, a location that is owned by Arlington County and the city of Alexandria, as its second headquarters in conjunction with New York City. But in February Amazon pulled plans for the New York headquarters after local opposition. Much of the anger focuses on the incentives Amazon is getting to set up its second headquarters in the city.  Local advocacy groups expressed anger during the vote Saturday (March 16) with Danny Candejas, an organizer for the “For Us, Not Amazon” coalition, telling NBC News the group is fighting to ensure residents of the area aren’t priced out of their homes by wealthy people moving in because of the Amazon jobs.

The HQ2 approval by the Virginia board is seen as a victory for the eCommerce giant, which has been under scrutiny from regulators, advocacy groups and lawmakers. Its move to pull out of New York garnered a lot of negative attention for the online retailer. In addition to dealing with its headquarters drama, Amazon is facing allegations it could be running afoul of antitrust rules; the allegations are prompting changes. Earlier this month CNN reported Amazon will stop preventing third-party sellers from hawking their products on other websites for a lower price. CNN reported Senator Richard Blumenthal had reached out to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission calling for an investigation into whether or not the eCommerce giant was violating antitrust rules by requiring merchants to match the price on all the websites where they sell their goods.