Amazon has cancelled plans to bring its HQ2 headquarters to New York's Long Island City, following a major backlash from local politicians.
The retail giant revealed today that it will no longer create a headquarters in the Queens neighbourhood, despite announcing the area as one of two successful bids for the project in November 2018.
"While polls show that 70 per cent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City," said Amazon in the statement released on its blog.
Amazon will not reopen HQ2 search Amazon chose to split HQ2 between the burgeoning riverside neighbourhood and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia ? close to Washington DC ? following a highly sought battle between cities across North America.
In the statement, the company adds that it does not plan to reopen the search, and will focus on developing the Virginia hub and a new operations centre in Nashville, Tennessee.
The multibillion-dollar company had promised to provide New York and Virginia with $2.5 billion (£1.92 billion) and more than 25,000 new jobs.
The Amazon LIC deal, however, triggered a major backlash from local officials on account of the major incentives offered by New York governor Andrew Cuomo and mayor Bill de Blasio. These were ex...