Delaware put its best foot forward in making a pitch for Amazon’s HQ2.
Cerron Cade, who heads the small business and tourism division within the Department of State, said the state does meet the online giant’s criteria for the project, which could employ tens of thousands of people.
Gov. John Carney said the bid for the project was a good opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the state.
The sites identified by Carney were:
- First State Crossing – Claymont
- 425 acres at the former Evraz Steel Mill with utilities in place
- Future home Claymont Train Station
- 1/3 of a mile to I-95 and I-495
- 20 miles to Philadelphia City Hall, 13 miles to PHL Airport
- Riverfront – Wilmington
- A combination of properties on South Market Street along the Christina River
- 82+ acres on the beautiful Wilmington Riverfront with utilities in place
- 1/4 of a mile to I-95 and I-495
- 1/3 of a mile to Wilmington Train Station
- 27 miles to Center-City Philadelphia
- 1800 Concord Pike – Fairfax
- 82 acres with utilities in place that is already home to AstraZeneca and a large JP Morgan Chase facility
- 1 mile to I-95
- 500,000 sq. ft. of existing office space available for Amazon’s first-phase headquarters project.
- 26 miles to Center-City Philadelphia
Carney emphasized that the sites will be suitable for other potential companies as the state looks to draw employers to northern Delaware, an area that has seen the loss of corporate jobs at DuPont and other employers.
Carney said Amazon offered all three sites to Amazon.
Unveiled at the event was a video touting the state’s northern tier as a top corporate location.
Also speaking at the event were Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Cong. Lisa Blunt Rochester and New Castle County Executive Matthew Meyer.
Rochester gave a spirited pitch for Delaware that included an Amazon cheer and the convenience of sites to the Northeast Corridor.
Mayor Purzycki said the effort was a “great exercise” win or lose in identifying promising sites for business.
Meyer pointed to the innovations coming out of northern Delaware from companies like DuPont, W.L. Gore, AstraZeneca and MBNA. Meyer also noted that the county was able to work with pharmaceutical company Incyte in coming up with a land use plan for its corporate headquarters site.
The state is viewed as a long shot in gaining Amazon.
Not a part of the briefing was a discussion of tax and other incentives that would be used to attract Amazon.
The company’s stance of not undergoing the usual process of working behind the scenes was seen by some observers as a way to spur competition on financial packages.
Carney acknowledged that the Amazon process was different and led to the decision to hold the briefing.
Meanwhile, both Baltimore and Philadelphia have been listed as potential finalists for the site, according to some pundits.
