Property and business owners who stand to lose big from Amazon's decision to withdraw from a planned headquarters in Queens are reacting in fury to the news.
Amazon's announcement on Thursday that it would withdraw from plans for a campus in Long Island City was cheered by area renters, who feared rent hikes, as well as local politicians furious about the billion dollar business' tax breaks.
But the move was blasted by business leaders, developers and wealthy property owners who hoped it would boost business for them.
'My big question for those who opposed this is: What is their plan to replace those 25,000 jobs?' Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Grech told DailyMail.com. 'That's the question that people in business are furious about.'
Announced with fanfare in November, Amazon's plan to split its second headquarters between Queens and Metro DC was trumpeted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, but loudly opposed by some city and state lawmakers, as well as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district spans parts of Queens and the Bronx.
Many local residents had also raised fears about being pushed out of their homes and neighborhoods by soaring rents if the headquarters went ahead.
Business leaders blasted Amazon's announcement on Thursday that it was reversing course on plans to build a major campus in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City (file photo)
Amazon faced fierce opposition over the nearly $3 billion in tax breaks officials offered, with critics complaining that the project was an extravagant giveaway - or worse, a shakedown - and that it wouldn't provide much direct benefit to most New Yorkers.
A Quinnipiac University poll released in December found New York City voters supported having an Amazon headquarters 57 percent to 26 percent. But they were divided over the incentives: 46 percent in favor, 44 percent against.
The death blow to the project was dealt by state Senator Michael Gianaris, whose district includes Long Island City.
Earlier this month, Gianaris was appointed to the Public Authorities Control Board, a little-known state panel that could have ultimately rejected the state subsidies.
'Amazon underestimated the very, very small yet vocal opponents,' said Grech.
Construction industry groups and some local business leaders had urged the public and officials to get behind the plan.
Eric Benaim, a realty executive who gets most of his sales and rentals in Long Island City, had led a petition in support of Amazon, drawing 4,000 signatures.
'I woke up this morning and I had no clue this would happen. Zero. This news is a shock, and I'm devastated,' he said.
Restaurants in the area had anticipated a big bump in foot traffic from HQ2 (file photo)
Local restaurants and retail outlets also bemoaned losing the anticipated bump in business that the tide of Amazon employees would have brought.
'It's definitely heartbreaking,' Steve Logiudice, owner of the Centro Pizza Bar & Italian Kitchen, told the New York Post. His restaurant is about two blocks from where Amazon planned to build.
'There'll be less foot traffic, and we depend on foot traffic. We depend on, obviously, the locals, but we depend on the construction workers, the business workers, so we depend on all that.'
Restaurateur Sam Musovic, who owns an apartment in Long Island City, called for a nationwide boycott of Amazon, and planned to hold a protest outside of the Amazon Books in Manhattan on Friday afternoon.
Muscovic's spokesman said in a statement that he had 'invested over a million dollars into his facility, only for Amazon to stand him up on Valentine's day.'
But Grech, the chamber of commerce honcho, dismissed calls for a boycott.
'There's no reason to boycott, there's reason to say thank you to Amazon for considering us in the first place,' Grech told DailyMail.com. 'We were unbelievably fortunate and blessed to be chosen as one of the two locations.'
Grech said that he hoped there was still a chance to salvage the deal. 'Maybe in 60 to 90 days, cooler heads will prevail.'
Link hienalouca.comhttps://hienalouca.com/2019/02/15/property-and-business-owners-in-queens-react-in-fury-after-amazon-pulls-out-of-plans-for-hq2/
Main photo article Property and business owners who stand to lose big from Amazon’s decision to withdraw from a planned headquarters in Queens are reacting in fury to the news.
Amazon’s announcement on Thursday that it would withdraw from plans for a campus in Long Island City was cheered by area...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/15/14/9862710-6709173-image-a-1_1550242270733.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий