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  #81  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2017, 6:09 PM
paul78701 paul78701 is offline
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Agreed. I guess if Austin and Texas for that matter are such a mess then Amazon will be moving the Whole Foods headquarters and their software development center somewhere a bit more desirable! The HQ2 search has been years in the process and I'd bet my paycheck they already have chosen the location.
Yea. People keep mentioning state politics as an issue. I'm sure Amazon isn't happy about some of the state level BS. So it might be a slight issue. But it clearly doesn't bother them that much. They are already hiring like gangbusters in Austin. All of the software people I know get Amazon job recruitment contacts from them for jobs in Austin on a somewhat regular basis.
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  #82  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2017, 6:35 PM
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Amazon also has a warehouse in San Marcos and one in San Antonio.
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  #83  
Old Posted Sep 23, 2017, 10:22 PM
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An article by a Bloomberg writer makes a comparison between HQ2 and Sematech.

Quote:
There’s actually a major precedent: Austin, Texas. In the early 1990s, a group of American technology companies and universities, along with the U.S. Department of Defense, decided to band together to combat Japanese dominance in the semiconductor industry. The resulting consortium, called Sematech, held a highly publicized competition to decide where to locate its operations. Contenders included the Silicon Valley and Boston, but in the end, the prize went to an up-and-coming college town: Austin.
http://www.providencejournal.com/opi...-for-amazon-hq
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  #84  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2017, 7:59 AM
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Just my 2¢

Jeff Bezos has a "space port" in west Texas of all places. Maybe he likes Texas?

Whole Foods, already HQ'd here, now being bought out by them....perhaps John Mackey has some pull in their ultimate decision.

Transportation issues? Yeah we have them, but as far as mass transit goes -- I would speculate that many of the employees for an A*HQ2 are mostly car drivers anyways. And many of our expressway problems are slowly getting resolved by tollways. Which I hate, but reluctantly use because the alternative is (typically) unbearable. Again, the employees at this facility can afford tolls, no problem.
However, I assume if the thing is built here, it'll most likely be downtown. Perhaps negating a big chunk of the transportation issues. We'll just need more high rise apartments and condo towers.
The Domain could be another option but not sure if there are height restrictions there?
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  #85  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2017, 9:56 AM
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This is just to keep ourselves grounded but NPR had an in-depth discussion on possible cities this second HQ could end up. Austin was not high on the list, in fact it was barely mentioned, I think we were only mentioned once.


Look, it would be awesome if they chose Austin, but I'd rather not have high hopes so that they don't have far to shatter. It's not even October 19th yet and there's going to be a whole hella lot of cities submitting proposals.
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  #86  
Old Posted Sep 24, 2017, 1:37 PM
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"CoStar Group, the real estate information and marketing firm, quizzed hundreds of real estate execs about where Amazon should put its new HQ2.

Austin's odds for getting Amazon's HQ were as high as 3 to 1 according to CoStar's poll. Dallas was given 6:1 odds."

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/...ing-amazon-hq2

No new insight on why Austin would be a good HQ2 candidate ... just turns out our pluses rank higher with commercial real estate folks, generally.

Costar article here:
http://www.costar.com/News/Article/C...ons-HQ2/194240
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  #87  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 1:29 AM
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Originally Posted by paul78701 View Post
I feel like you're reaching for negatives.

- Traffic is an issue in most any sizable city.
- City officials change all the time. I'm sure Amazon understands that. I'm sure the city can still manage to put together a proposal without a city manager.
- Incentives are to be determined, you can't call that a negative just yet.
- It's hard to say that Austin is losing it's biz friendly mentality compared to other cities. That seems subjective and likely not a problem Amazon would be hindered by with any sort of proposal coming from the city.
- The airport and city size clearly meet the requirements Amazon was asking for.

Austin is still one of the best areas in the country to find, hire, and retain tech talent. That alone puts it on the short list. It seems to be Amazon's most important criteria.
I love Austin, but the transportation issue alone is too much, imo. Its not that yall lack a train network etc. Its that the road network is insanely small too. I35 should be 6 lanes throughout all Austin, both ways. Even city streets seem to all be 2 lanes each way, always seeming to be too little for the traffic its handling.
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  #88  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 1:55 AM
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I love Austin, but the transportation issue alone is too much, imo. Its not that yall lack a train network etc. Its that the road network is insanely small too. I35 should be 6 lanes throughout all Austin, both ways. Even city streets seem to all be 2 lanes each way, always seeming to be too little for the traffic its handling.
Something we are all painfully aware of, but like the Texas heat in the summer, its something you get used to, eventually. Neither seems to be enough to stop the rush of people moving here. Anyone (Amazon) would consider the quality of life here after being stuck in traffic, or contemplate it while stuck in traffic. Heck, I get stuck in traffic in puny Poughkeepsie during rush hour when I visit there. Its everywhere.
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  #89  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 4:28 AM
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It's delusional to think that Amazon would consider coming to Austin. Don't get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of the idea. It would be the greatest economic development that's happened to Austin since Dell Corp. The opportunity would provide Austin with countless jobs, not only the projected 50,000 directly working for Amazon but also the peripheral companies that move to Austin to be close to Amazon. It would help buffer us from a looming national recession.

But I think the chances are very slim they'll come here, mainly because this Council is so very anti big business. We saw this with their struggle with Uber. More recently Leslie Pool stated that she didn't believe Austin should provide any incentive package at all to big companies to come here. And yes, she is the same council member that tried to reneg on the Domain contract. Then there's Delia Garza who expressed hesitance to the idea of Amazon coming to town, unless it's coming to her district. And do you really think Greg Casar would be open to any government giveaways unless the giveaways are given directly to his constituents? Short sighted ward politics is going to be the downfall of Austin.

Contrast this with all the other cities who are bending backwards to court Amazon. I strongly doubt council will even provide an incentive package.

Seattle's city council is similarly not very friendly towards big business. I sense that's why Amazon is looking for a 2nd location rather than growing and building out where they currently are. I don't think they want to move to a city with a council that is a carbon copy of the one in Seattle.
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  #90  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 4:43 AM
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For Texas, I'm starting to think more and more that Dallas might have the best shot. I personally love the idea of Austin getting it, and I think Austin has more of a chance than San Antonio (and maybe Houston) for a lot of reasons. I just think Dallas is more prepared for something like that with their light rail system, two airports, and hopefully the HSR connection to another major metro area. They also have multiple major universities as well as a huge presence in the tech and retail worlds, not to mention data storage, etc.

Austin has a lot going for it compared to some cities, but I'm not sure that it's going to win this one. However, I can't tell you how much I'd like to be wrong there (and I very well could be).
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  #91  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 6:19 AM
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I-35 could be wider, I guess, but I hate the idea of wider streets. Who will volunteer to see their favorite local spot get knocked down first?

On the corporate welfare issue, I think they'll be fine. There's little point in complaining about national politics if we borrow the same tactics to use at home. it's not like Amazon is particularly needy. Amazon is going to go where the brainpower is with a strong existing workforce pool in their industry. The transportation issue is a bigger one than the incentive one, and maybe if the local government is willing to splurge so generously on corporate incentives they might be better off spending that money on better transportation modes that would no doubt benefit that desired outcome?
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  #92  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 7:09 PM
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Originally Posted by undergroundman View Post
It's delusional to think that Amazon would consider coming to Austin. Don't get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of the idea. It would be the greatest economic development that's happened to Austin since Dell Corp. The opportunity would provide Austin with countless jobs, not only the projected 50,000 directly working for Amazon but also the peripheral companies that move to Austin to be close to Amazon. It would help buffer us from a looming national recession.

But I think the chances are very slim they'll come here, mainly because this Council is so very anti big business. We saw this with their struggle with Uber. More recently Leslie Pool stated that she didn't believe Austin should provide any incentive package at all to big companies to come here. And yes, she is the same council member that tried to reneg on the Domain contract. Then there's Delia Garza who expressed hesitance to the idea of Amazon coming to town, unless it's coming to her district. And do you really think Greg Casar would be open to any government giveaways unless the giveaways are given directly to his constituents? Short sighted ward politics is going to be the downfall of Austin.

Contrast this with all the other cities who are bending backwards to court Amazon. I strongly doubt council will even provide an incentive package.

Seattle's city council is similarly not very friendly towards big business. I sense that's why Amazon is looking for a 2nd location rather than growing and building out where they currently are. I don't think they want to move to a city with a council that is a carbon copy of the one in Seattle.
AMEN Anyone who votes for this group, other than ET, needs their ass kicked..progressive is one thing but anti-business is another. If one can't see the hidden racism in this council, especially the west side members, then they are blind..Big companies hire diverse populations!! West Austin boutiques do not Wake the f--k up!!!
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  #93  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 9:15 PM
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For Texas, I'm starting to think more and more that Dallas might have the best shot. I personally love the idea of Austin getting it, and I think Austin has more of a chance than San Antonio (and maybe Houston) for a lot of reasons. I just think Dallas is more prepared for something like that with their light rail system, two airports, and hopefully the HSR connection to another major metro area. They also have multiple major universities as well as a huge presence in the tech and retail worlds, not to mention data storage, etc.

Austin has a lot going for it compared to some cities, but I'm not sure that it's going to win this one. However, I can't tell you how much I'd like to be wrong there (and I very well could be).
I agree, I personally don't see Amazon bringing HQ2 to Austin. The city has grown way to fast for its transportation network to catch up. I also agree that if HQ2 goes to Texas it'll go to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
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  #94  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2017, 9:53 PM
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I like how we are being realistic about Amazon in this thread. If you check out other city threads on multiple forums, posters are in boosterism overdrive in picking their city as the best choice. Some of the reasons they cite for their cities being a top choice/the best choice are ridiculous.

I think Austin has a good chance of being a finalist because Austin and Texas do incentive packages for relocations well, and Texas is business friendly. If this was just an IT or software development facility, Austin would be the top choice IMO. But this is a major corporate campus, not just a Tech play. I think NOVA followed by DFW would be the leading candidates.
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  #95  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2017, 5:33 AM
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Yeah, the only reason I have trouble with NOVA is cost of living and other things that could make it more expensive...but having an East Coast presence could be good, and there are certainly other connectivity things (airports, rail, metro, etc.) that could make that area attractive.
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  #96  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2017, 12:59 PM
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Not quite HQ2, but the Domain is getting the first bricks & mortar Amazon bookstore in Texas.
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  #97  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2017, 5:14 AM
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I've been hearing that Denver is pretty high on Amazon's right now going into the presentations for several reasons:
- Reasonable cost of living compared to the coastal cities
- Decent talent pool and growing tech scene
- Massive airport that is truly international with direct flights to Asia & Europe, as well as convenient 2 hour flight to Seattle
- Pretty good mass transit system including the light rail that connects most areas of the metro, downtown and the airport (this will be a HUGE factor in their decision from what I'm hearing)
- Cool city with great nightlife, attractions and entertainment
- Land available for a true campus build out

This is just heresay I've picked up on in real estate circles and from friends in Austin that are Seattle transplants but have friends back home connected to Amazon. The incentives pitched in the contest will undoubtedly impact the final decision, and Jeff Bezos reportedly bought a home in the D.C. area recently so it's still probably anyone's guess at this point. Austin has some advantages in the talent aspect but the transportation issues and small airport with limited direct flights are pretty big negatives that will likely hurt our chances. I'm cautiously optimistic but not getting my hopes up.
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  #98  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2017, 5:29 PM
Austin1971 Austin1971 is offline
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Originally Posted by ATXPhil View Post
I've been hearing that Denver is pretty high on Amazon's right now going into the presentations for several reasons:
- Reasonable cost of living compared to the coastal cities
- Decent talent pool and growing tech scene
- Massive airport that is truly international with direct flights to Asia & Europe, as well as convenient 2 hour flight to Seattle
- Pretty good mass transit system including the light rail that connects most areas of the metro, downtown and the airport (this will be a HUGE factor in their decision from what I'm hearing)
- Cool city with great nightlife, attractions and entertainment
- Land available for a true campus build out

This is just heresay I've picked up on in real estate circles and from friends in Austin that are Seattle transplants but have friends back home connected to Amazon. The incentives pitched in the contest will undoubtedly impact the final decision, and Jeff Bezos reportedly bought a home in the D.C. area recently so it's still probably anyone's guess at this point. Austin has some advantages in the talent aspect but the transportation issues and small airport with limited direct flights are pretty big negatives that will likely hurt our chances. I'm cautiously optimistic but not getting my hopes up.
I just don't see HQ2 being built in Denver. It's too close to Seattle. It's going to be somewhere in the midwest, south or on the east coast. Denver is so isolated. The closest drivable metro is Salt Lake and that's 500 miles away. KC is 600, OKC is 675, Vegas is 750 and Phoenix is 800 for perspective. To my knowledge there isn't even a fulfillment center in Colorado.

Heck I think Seattle is isolated but at least they have Portland and Vancouver which gives you at least 7 million people within same day driving distance.

Let's use Austin as an example with at least 15 million people within a 4 hour drive. An employee can drive, in the same day, conduct business and return home and sleep in their own bed. Texas has 5 fulfillment centers.

Air travel is an important component but accessibility will no doubt be a huge factor in their decision. Having to fly every employee for business would be extremely expensive and cost prohibitive in my opinion.
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  #99  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2017, 5:56 PM
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I'm just basing this on my brother's trips for his job, which is in the tech industry, but all of the trips he's taken for conventions and meetings were done so by flying to them. Granted, those were to Las Vegas, southern California and the bay area. I would think unless the location was in the same state, such as in California, that they would fly otherwise.
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  #100  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2017, 1:36 AM
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Brandywine could end up being the main developer in both the Austin and Philadelphia HQ2 bids.

I say that because their incredible Schuylkill Yards project in Philly is an obvious choice, and the powers that be in Austin have to be considering the 66 acre Broadmoor project for Austin's bid. Brandywine was already seeking zoning for 360' towers long before HQ2, and they are also working on getting a Red Line station at the site. So they have big plans in the works for Broadmoor regardless of HQ2.

Here's an article about Philly's bid that mentions Schuylkill Yards and Brandywine:

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...-20170915.html
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