Amazon.com, INC. in Upstate? New York Legislators Write Letter to Jeff Bezos Amazon.com, INC. in Upstate? NY Legislators Write Letter to Jeff Bezos

Just last year Amazon announced that the two cities it would build headquarters in were New York City and Crystal City, VA, but blowback in New York leaves the decision up in the air.

The office space that’s supposed to be in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City has been heavily criticized by locals and local politicians while Governor Andrew Cuomo still stands by it.

“And if they stop Amazon from coming to New York, they’re going to have the people of New York state to explain it to. It is irresponsible to allow political opposition to overcome sound government policy,” said Cuomo at a news conference in Long Island.

With drama surrounding the location and the proposed subsidies to be given to Amazon, Upstate New York legislators jumped on the opportunity to invite the HQ to their cities.

Syracuse-area Senator Robert E. Antonacci provided his input in the press release this past Monday stating what Upstate had to offer for Amazon.

“It is apparent the obstacles in New York City are going to be difficult to overcome and with all of the resources we have in the Syracuse-Rochester corridor we would hope Amazon would give us a chance to become the home of the new headquarters,” said Antonacci.

Antonacci alongside other Upstate Assemblyman believe in the need for private investment in the area and believe their highly trained workforce that’s in need of more job opportunities makes Upstate an ideal location for an Amazon HQ.

The originally proposed Long Island City location has been caught under fire for various reasons. Some local politicians, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14th District) and Senator Michael N. Gianaris (D-Queens), believe the tax incentives are way too high for a company that is already so lucrative, and some locals worry that the headquarters will cause the cost of living to become unaffordable for its low income residents.