Amazon Halting Construction of HQ2 in Arlington

[Anonymous]

In all seriousness VA got a killer deal here. We owe Amazon basically nothing unless they actually deliver jobs. But I think Arlington was counting on some space they aren’t going to get is Amazon doesn’t build.

[Anonymous]

Because Amazon is going down in flames. It's business stinks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My college Senior nephew interned at Amazon in Herndon last summer but only needed to go into the office 2x day per week so stayed with us in Loudoun Co about half of the summer. He roomed with another intern in Reston Town Center the rest of the time.

He signed to start full time this July after he graduates. Right now he plans to get an apartment closer to DC so is hopeful he gets assigned to the Arlington office so he has a shorter commute on the days he has to go in. He is really against living where a car is needed, although he loved Reston Town Center.

He is with AWS, not Amazon. Two different companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because Amazon is going down in flames. Its business stinks.

No, it's not. It now changed to 2 days a week in office but most don't live that close to an office due to housing prices. No one wants your crappy million dollar house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My college Senior nephew interned at Amazon in Herndon last summer but only needed to go into the office 2x day per week so stayed with us in Loudoun Co about half of the summer. He roomed with another intern in Reston Town Center the rest of the time.

He signed to start full time this July after he graduates. Right now he plans to get an apartment closer to DC so is hopeful he gets assigned to the Arlington office so he has a shorter commute on the days he has to go in. He is really against living where a car is needed, although he loved Reston Town Center.

He is with AWS, not Amazon. Two different companies.

It's a subsidiary.

[Anonymous]

Nobody is going to buy a house in Arlington and pay 1-2 million bucks to come into Amazon 2 times a week. Do people know that an Amazon employee only lasts for about 3 years before they leave? Working conditions are horrible. And not to mention, most of amazons pay is based on RSUs. So someone making 150k a year is actually only making 90k with the rest of it in restricted stocks. Hard to afford anything on that salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

? ok, and you think Arlington is the only city that has those amenities? LOL

Also, I hate apt/condo living with kids.

It depends on your age and stage of life. Amazon likes to recruit younger people early in their careers so that kind of lifestyle would appeal to them more while I agree that it wouldn’t appeal that much to the average family. If I was a young person just moving to area to start my career, Pentagon City/Crystal City looks really attractive right now, whether you work in the office full time or hybrid.

true, but other cities have those amenities, too. Urban/suburban living is now a thing everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

? ok, and you think Arlington is the only city that has those amenities? LOL

Also, I hate apt/condo living with kids.

It depends on your age and stage of life. Amazon likes to recruit younger people early in their careers so that kind of lifestyle would appeal to them more while I agree that it wouldn’t appeal that much to the average family. If I was a young person just moving to area to start my career, Pentagon City/Crystal City looks really attractive right now, whether you work in the office full time or hybrid.

and young people get older and when they have kids eventually move out to the burbs.

Wait, isn’t Arlington the burbs???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

Why would I go out in rain, wind, pollen season, or high heat and humidity for a coffee? I have a French press that makes better coffee than the fancy coffee shops.

And why do you think people in suburbs have to drive miles and miles for amenities? In the time it would take you to walk to your coffee shop, stand in line, order, wait, stir in your cream and sugar, and sit there to drink it. ( unless your walking it back and it likely gets lukewarm by the time your in your apartment). I could easily go to any number of places within 1-2 miles of my house and be back. School pick up/drop off, quick grocery run, pet supply store, 20+ restaurants for pick up or even coffee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

Why would I go out in rain, wind, pollen season, or high heat and humidity for a coffee? I have a French press that makes better coffee than the fancy coffee shops.

And why do you think people in suburbs have to drive miles and miles for amenities? In the time it would take you to walk to your coffee shop, stand in line, order, wait, stir in your cream and sugar, and sit there to drink it. ( unless your walking it back and it likely gets lukewarm by the time your in your apartment). I could easily go to any number of places within 1-2 miles of my house and be back. School pick up/drop off, quick grocery run, pet supply store, 20+ restaurants for pick up or even coffee.

Studies pretty clearly show that a walking lifestyle where you can do errands on foot and also maintain loose social connections with friendly neighbors is both physically and mentally healthier. Certainly that’s why I pay $$$ to live where I do, but you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo dodged that bullet.

Two completed office buildings, money spent on community projects, and no subsidies actually paid. Great dodge there moco

Not to mention all the induced secondary investment. Those peoples reaction is exactly why Montgomery County is failing because they have no idea what success looks like.

They got 8,000 jobs without having to subsidize any of it.

I really wouldn't call it dodging since MoCo was never really in the running. Amazon just threw DC and MD into the mix to see if they could get better terms from VA. They had targeted Arlington from to start due to the pre-BRAC infrastructure, proximity to Reagan National, and Metro. Dodging in the sense that MD would have had to offer a lot more to entice Amazon away from VA, which wasn't going to happen practically, but if they did somehow did cave to Amazon, MD would now be worse off compared to if they had not won the bid due to the massive subsidies. VA didn't provide a lot of subsidies because it was an open secret they were the preferred site anyway, so no harm no foul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

Why would I go out in rain, wind, pollen season, or high heat and humidity for a coffee? I have a French press that makes better coffee than the fancy coffee shops.

And why do you think people in suburbs have to drive miles and miles for amenities? In the time it would take you to walk to your coffee shop, stand in line, order, wait, stir in your cream and sugar, and sit there to drink it. ( unless your walking it back and it likely gets lukewarm by the time your in your apartment). I could easily go to any number of places within 1-2 miles of my house and be back. School pick up/drop off, quick grocery run, pet supply store, 20+ restaurants for pick up or even coffee.

I think you’re over thinking it. It is more about quick convenience while you are working at home. If you run out of your Stumptown beans during the day, then you can hit up the Whole Foods in under 15 minutes to get more really fast and make it for your 10:30 call with a fresh cup from your own french press. Or maybe you are having a hard time drafting a report, you can do a short 5 minute jaunt around the block for some fresh air and inspiration. It is obviously different when you have kids and your needs and requirements change. But if you are a young 20 something, a basic, new, clean and safe neighborhood like this would be perfect because it also is both car and transit friendly too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo dodged that bullet.

Two completed office buildings, money spent on community projects, and no subsidies actually paid. Great dodge there moco

Not to mention all the induced secondary investment. Those peoples reaction is exactly why Montgomery County is failing because they have no idea what success looks like.

They got 8,000 jobs without having to subsidize any of it.

I really wouldn't call it dodging since MoCo was never really in the running. Amazon just threw DC and MD into the mix to see if they could get better terms from VA. They had targeted Arlington from to start due to the pre-BRAC infrastructure, proximity to Reagan National, and Metro. Dodging in the sense that MD would have had to offer a lot more to entice Amazon away from VA, which wasn't going to happen practically, but if they did somehow did cave to Amazon, MD would now be worse off compared to if they had not won the bid due to the massive subsidies. VA didn't provide a lot of subsidies because it was an open secret they were the preferred site anyway, so no harm no foul.

Both Crystal City and Long Island City are very similar in many ways, so it is clear that they knew exactly what they were looking for and were using the whole process as a means to extract more subsidies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You wanted to work from home so say good-bye to downtown development and commercial real estate projects like this. They simply aren't sustainable with people working fully remote or only showing up to the office 1 or 2 days a week.

More WFH will mean cities like Arlington aren't going to get that boom in real estate that people were expecting with HQ2. Of course, Arlington is already pricey and will continue to be desirable, but not because of HQ2.

They have 8,000 workers. Maybe a few get culled. There is new apartments. There is new office space. There is a new Whole Foods. There is the old Costco and shopping mall. There are three metro stops. There is the Pentagon. There is the airport. These are all desirable amenities and will continue to be desirable.

ok, but many may be wfh/hybrid, and those amenities don't mean much.

And I would not want to live near an airport.

Oh, and lots of other cities have what you stated: costco, WF, shopping areas, metro stops. That is not a new thing. LOL

If you work from home, having close amenities are even more important. Run out of coffee? Just run down stairs really quick.

Why would I go out in rain, wind, pollen season, or high heat and humidity for a coffee? I have a French press that makes better coffee than the fancy coffee shops.

And why do you think people in suburbs have to drive miles and miles for amenities? In the time it would take you to walk to your coffee shop, stand in line, order, wait, stir in your cream and sugar, and sit there to drink it. ( unless your walking it back and it likely gets lukewarm by the time your in your apartment). I could easily go to any number of places within 1-2 miles of my house and be back. School pick up/drop off, quick grocery run, pet supply store, 20+ restaurants for pick up or even coffee.

Studies pretty clearly show that a walking lifestyle where you can do errands on foot and also maintain loose social connections with friendly neighbors is both physically and mentally healthier. Certainly that’s why I pay $$$ to live where I do, but you do you.

I can walk around my neighborhood for fresh air and exercise. I can take a break to garden in my yard, I can take my dog for a quick run, I can go to any of the multiple gyms and boutique workout places within 2 miles of my house.

If getting coffee is your main option for movement, then maybe you should move.

[Anonymous]

Bezos has already told employees he will leave VA completely after 2025 if it goes full red ie both houses and govenor.

At that point education will be destroyed in the state so hiring will be an issue. Plus Republicans will raise taxes and he won't be able to bring talent in from other places.

Yes, you see there is a trickle effect it will seem slow but by 2025 it's all over.

VA is screwed.