SoCal cities team up for unique Amazon HQ bid

The cities of Huntington Beach and Long Beach, located about 16 miles apart in different counties, delivered a unique proposal to Amazon for three separate but linked campuses as the e-commerce giant searches for a home for a second North American HQ.    Two Southern California cities, which between them have relatively close proximity to three airports and the second largest seaport in North America, have submitted a joint bid to win the right to house the planned second headquarters for Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc.
   The cities of Huntington Beach and Long Beach, which are located about 16 miles apart in different counties, delivered a unique proposal to Amazon on the Oct. 19 deadline for three separate but linked campuses, dubbed “Amazon Air,” “Amazon Sand” and “Amazon Sea.”
   The “Amazon Sand” facility would be located in Huntington Beach, while “Amazon Sea” would be located along the Long Beach waterfront, not far from the Port of Long Beach. The third site, “Amazon Air,” would be adjacent to the Long Beach Airport. The potential “Amazon Sand” site, the two cities say, is already entitled and move-in ready with more than 500,000 square feet of space, thus setting it apart from other competing cities.
   “Long Beach has a vibrant downtown on the water, a Metro rail connection to downtown Los Angeles, an airport, one of the world’s busiest and greenest ports, a great public school system, and the best people and workforce anywhere,” Mayor Robert Garcia said of the proposal. “We would love to share our city with Amazon, whose presence would enrich the tapestry of Long Beach.”
   The headquarters, dubbed “HQ2,” would employ up to 50,000 workers and cost roughly $5 billion to build and operate. Amazon’s criteria for bidding cities includes metropolitan areas housing a million or more people and within 45 minutes of an international airport. Incentives offered by state and local governments would also be significant factors, the company said.
   Long Beach, in addition to having its own city-run airport, is about 35 minutes away from Los Angeles International Airport. Huntington Beach, nicknamed Surf City, is located in Orange County and is about 12 miles from John Wayne Airport, an international airport in the city of Santa Ana.
   “I know having them here would only bring out the best in all of us – a new spark of inspiration for not only the Los Angeles and Orange County regions, but Southern California as a whole,” Huntington Beach Mayor Barbara Delgleize said. “Where else can you go to have so much connectivity and accessibility? And with so many outdoor recreation opportunities and perfect year-round weather, Amazonians will love the SoCal vibe and culture.”
   Along with its proposal, the cities delivered a custom made surfboard to Amazon, plus created a short “Amazon Coast” video addressing CEO Jeff Bezos. The video is available on Amazon.com subsidiary Twitch.tv.
   Amazon has said it plans to devote $5 billion to the headquarters’ construction, and that the facility at some point could house 50,000 Amazon staffers. At least 50 North American metro areas are believed to have submitted bids, according to a report by industry publication Business Insider.