US: NY To Amazon: we support your new HQ

In a poll of New Yorkers on whether they support or oppose Amazon’s plans to build a new headquarters in the Long Island City area of Queens, the majority said they support Amazon, according to a report by Reuters.

They do have some trepidations, however, as polled residents were split over the finer points of the multibillion-dollar incentive package that was offered to lure the online retail giant to the area.

Of the residents who replied to the Quinnipiac University poll, 57% said they approved of Amazon’s plans, while 26% said they opposed it.

When it came to the issue of the US$2.8 billion in tax breaks and incentives offered to Amazon to come to Queens, 46% said they are in support and 44% said they oppose the idea.

Amazon was offered US$1.525 billion in performance-based direct incentives, as well as a refundable tax credit by New York State’s Excelsior Program, which could total as much as US$1.2 billion.

State, city, and local residents have opposed the deal over maneuverings that allowed Amazon to minimize the need for local approvals, something that is normally necessary in local projects.

Other leaders say they are against the project because of the large tax breaks, and also due to how the company will affect the neighborhood’s infrastructure.

There were a reported 238 cities that competed to get Amazon’s new headquarters, and the decision to split between two locations was surprising to many. The other HQ will be in Crystal City in Arlington County near Washington, DC.