Amazon is reportedly at advanced stages of opening its second headquarters in Northern Virginia.
The online retail giant has held discussions about the possibility of opening its second outpost in Crystal City, a residential and business area strategically positioned south of the nation’s capital.
The Washington Post reported that Amazon is said to be mulling how quickly it could move employees, its physical plant and how it could make the decision public, people close to the process told the publication.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has given no indication of desired location for the new premises
An aerial image of Crystal City (pictured) which is tipped to be the new location for Amazon’s second headquarters
It is understood that the area’s premier developer, JBG Smith, has pulled some of its buildings off the leasing market to make way for Amazon.
The internet giant continues to assess 20 locations on its shortlist for its second headquarters ahead of its year-end deadline.
However it was also reported that Amazon may also be in similar talks with other cities considered finalists.
Two people close to the process said that if Crystal City was selected, Amazon was likely to move an initial group of several hundred employees into 1851 South Bell Street or 1770 Crystal Drive.
These are two dated office buildings that have been targeted for redevelopment but could be readied for occupancy by their owner, JBG Smith.
At a conference in New York on Thursday, Amazon founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos told the crowd: ‘Ultimately the decision will be made with intuition after gathering and studying a lot of data — for a decision like that, as far as I know, the best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data but then you make the decision with your heart.’
The two buildings at 1851 South Bell Street and 1770 Crystal Drive, which are located beside each other, are the properties being touted as Amazon’s second headquarters
Meanwhile, sources told CNBC that Amazon and local officials had a ‘very productive’ and ‘very long’ conference call on Friday.
It is understood that a potential incentive package may include a ‘very generous’ transportation incentive to alleviate traffic fears, as well as educational aspects to ensure Amazon has a pipeline to a skilled workforce.
Part of Amazon’s current headquarters (pictured) in Seattle, Washington
Sources told CNBC that a final decision is ‘close’ and may come down to Northern Virginia or Austin, Texas, or perhaps a split between both cities.
Mike Grella, Amazon’s director of economic development, posted on Twitter that those leaking information about the selection process were ‘not doing Crystal City any favors’.
He also hinted that Amazon compelled finalists to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that the leakers may be violating.
Crystal City, which has easy transit access, is close to Reagan National Airport and has ready-to-occupy office buildings, has long been considered a strong contender.
The District and Montgomery County also are among the 20 finalists.
Over the past few months, Amazon executives have reportedly revisited several of the locations on its shortlist, including Newark, New Jersey, New York City and Chicago, CNN reported.
Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Miami are also among the 20 shortlisted cities, CNN reported.