Atlanta makes the shortlist for new Amazon headquarters

This story will be updated.
The city of Atlanta is on a list of 20 finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters.
Other finalists on the list are Boston, New York City, Newark, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Washington D.C., Raleigh, Northern Virginia, Miami, Toronto, Columbus, Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin.
“In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information as necessary, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate our hiring plans as well as benefit our employees and the local community,” the online retail giant said in a press release. “We expect to make a decision in 2018.”
In the request for proposals for the project, the company said it prefers:
– Metropolitan areas with more than one million people
– A stable and business-friendly environment
– Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent
– Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options
Gov. Nathan Deal says he’s prepared to call a special session of the state Legislature just to deal with the incentives needed to attract Amazon to the area, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Amazon’s second headquarters project is a $5 billion investment expected to create 50,000 high-paying jobs.
In response to the news, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said, “I am very pleased that Atlanta has been named as one of 20 cities selected for Amazon’s HQ2 shortlist. I want to thank the many partners whose leadership made this possible: Governor Nathan Deal, Commissioner Pat Wilson, my predecessor Mayor Kasim Reed, Metro Chamber CEO Hala Moddelmog, and Invest Atlanta CEO Dr. Eloisa Klementich. This truly has been a collaborative effort and I believe our success is a direct result of our teamwork and willingness to focus on results.”