Today, Amazon announced its selection of a site in Northern Virginia for its next headquarters, which will bring more than 25,000 high-paying jobs and billions of dollars in direct investment to the metropolitan Washington region.
According to a joint news release by Arlington County and the City of Alexandria, the two jurisdictions are announcing that Amazon will locate in National Landing, a newly branded neighborhood encompassing parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City in Arlington and Potomac Yard in Alexandria.
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors Chairman and Loudoun County Supervisor Matt Letourneau said:
“From the beginning, we’ve known that metropolitan Washington was the perfect place for Amazon. Our region’s talented workforce, diverse educational institutions, and dynamic neighborhoods make us a great fit for Amazon and other major employers.”
“On behalf of the Council of Governments, I’d like to welcome Amazon as an even larger corporate citizen in our region and congratulate our colleagues in Arlington and Alexandria for this outstanding economic development win.”
Throughout the competition for Amazon’s second headquarters, COG worked with its member governments to enhance their bids by helping them promote the region’s many assets. From regional data related to the Amazon request for proposal to the joint letter from the two governors and mayor to Amazon's CEO, COG supported close coordination among Virginia, Maryland, and District officials.
COG Executive Director Chuck Bean, who oversaw this support, said:
“This is a very exciting and energizing day for the metropolitan Washington region. Amazon’s selection of a site in Northern Virginia for its next headquarters will further transform our economy and provide an outstanding opportunity to shape an even better region for all area residents. Amazon will accelerate our region’s transformation from government town to global tech hub and produce a multiplier effect well beyond the additional 25,000 Amazon jobs.”
“Metropolitan Washington is well-positioned to integrate Amazon along with its spinoff growth thanks to our long-standing regional planning work, recent progress on Metro funding, and new initiatives to address housing and our broader transportation needs.”
MORE:
COG’s AmazonDMV website, produced for area governments
AmazonDMV companion report
Amazon HQ2 - Joint Regional Letters
Arlington-Alexandria Joint Release on Amazon