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NoMa-Union Market Applauds Amazon for Including D.C. in List of 20 Finalist Regions for HQ2
Neighborhood at the heart of the District is perfectly positioned to serve as technology giant’s second headquarters, says NoMa BID president.
WASHINGTON, D.C. / JANUARY 19, 2018 — Three months ago, property owners, developers, and other stakeholders in the adjoining District neighborhoods of NoMa and Union Market united to offer a compelling site at the heart of D.C. in response to Amazon’s search for a place to build a second corporate campus. On January 18, the NoMa-Union Market team celebrated when D.C. was named by the retail and technology giant as one of 20 regional finalists for the Amazon effort, dubbed “HQ2.”
“We’ve always known that D.C. is a terrific option for HQ2 and are thrilled that Amazon has confirmed this with their announcement,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa Business Improvement District. Now, she added, it’s time for Amazon to recognize that the NoMa-Union Market area (nomaunionmarket.com) is the best site within the city to accommodate the company’s outsize needs and ambitious timeline:
- Ease of Development: NoMa-Union Market offers a “plug-and-play” opportunity for Amazon, said Jasper. “We already have a flourishing neighborhood with 12 million square feet of commercial capacity and all the infrastructure, including unlimited data capacity and unmatched transit assets, in place. As an additional advantage, Amazon could start work on the buildings it wants to create right away, without having to go through expensive and time-consuming review processes.” Amazon has said it anticipates the first phase of developing HQ2 — which it expects to reach 8 million square feet in size at full build-out — to begin in 2019.
- Advantages for the District: “The neighborhood’s great infrastructure and transportation assets, including the extensive regional reach of Union Station, would minimize the amount of public investment needed to make HQ2 work,” Jasper continued. “If Amazon were to choose NoMa-Union Market, the funds required to develop essential infrastructure for less-ready sites can be directed instead to ensuring an optimal workforce through investments in education and training as well as housing affordability. It would really accelerate achieving Mayor Bowser’s important vision of creating meaningful pathways to the middle class.”
NoMa-Union Market is one of four District sites the city government submitted for the HQ2 RFP. “Making this list reaffirms what we already knew going into the bid process,” said District Mayor Muriel Bowser in response to the announcement from Amazon. “Washington, D.C., is no longer a one-company government town, we are a leader in innovation and tech, brimming with top talent and endless opportunity.”