The Arlington Country Board has
approved the direct financial incentive proposal to Amazon. This is an annual pay-for-performance grant valued at $23 million. Amazon is aiming to occupy 6 million square feet of office space in the coming 15 years.
“This performance agreement is really just the beginning of what I believe will be a long and productive partnership between Arlington and Amazon,” Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said. "Our vote today reflects our strong belief that Amazon will bring significant benefits to our community, to neighboring Alexandria, the region and the state," he added.
After hearing from more than 100 speakers in a public hearing questioning Amazon executives, an unanimous decision for the approval of the performance agreement with Amazon was made by the Board.
Background of the Proposal
"Amazon announced in November 2018 it had selected Arlington County from more than 230 jurisdictions from around North America for its new headquarters, commonly referred to as HQ2." The announcement was followed by a 14-month for the entire decision-making process.
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, County, and Loudoun County have presented multiple sites within Northern Virginia. Each highlighted shared regional assets, such as business climate, innovation in the economy, and workforce. This was led by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
What it means for Alexandria
Alexandria and Arlington are adjacent to each other. To give more detail, Alexandria to Arlington or vice versa is approximately 5.81 miles in the northwest direction. Alternatively, it is 7 miles by car following the South Arlington Ridge Road route. In simpler words, Arlington and Alexandria are 12 minutes.
This means that most of the improvements in Arlington will most likely be felt by the neighboring districts such as Alexandria. On top of it, new investments in technology, transportation, and housing are already in works due to the Amazon deal.
Technology
Part of the Amazon proposal, the Commonwealth of Virginia has proposed to support the funding of Tech Talent Investment. The proposed amount is more than $1 billion. With this fund, it is expected to produce roughly 25,000 additional bachelor's and master's degree graduates in fields related to computer and science.
The Commonwealth also has plans to provide new resources and support to computer science education. Public schools located in Alexandria and Arlington will be able to access these new resources. Teachers in Alexandria and Arlington will have access to professional development, high-quality curriculum, after-school programming for interested students, and career exposure.
To quote, "Arlington has partnered with neighboring Alexandria, which will be the home of a new $1 billion Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. The new campus will be designed to increase graduates in STEM-related degrees, providing a qualified tech talent pipeline for technology companies in Northern Virginia and beyond."
A funding of approximately $250 million from the Tech Talent Investment Fund, $250 million from the Virginia Tech, and $500 million from the private sector will support this project.
Transportation
The Commonwealth has said that they will be supporting and investing on transportation projects in Arlington as well as neighboring areas such as Alexandria. Some of the planned investments include the following:
- Transit way expansion supporting Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard in both Alexandria and Arlington
- New entrance to the Crystal City Metro station
- Pedestrian bridge from Crystal City to Reagan National Airport
- A South entrance that will connect Potomac Avenue with the new Potomac Yard Metro Station
- Improvements to U.S. Route 1 in Arlington County
If Amazon is able to offer more than 25,000 jobs to residents of Arlington and Alexandria, more funding for transportation will be made available from the Commonwealth.
Housing
The region has increased its efforts in providing affordable housing, Alexandria and Arlington already have strong commitments to funding and supporting the project. With the projected revenues that will be generated by Amazon, Alexandria and Arlington will be able to fund affordable housing, workforce housing, and public infrastructure.
Alexandria and Arlington have planned to invest at least $150 million over the coming years in affordable housing. The expected result is the creation and preservation of around 2,4000 affordable units around Crystal City, Columbia Pike area, Pentagon City, and the entire of Alexandria.
"The Commonwealth of Virginia has also pledged to provide $15 million per year for five years, at least, to support housing affordability in areas impacted by Amazon."
Properties in
