As New Yorkers, denizens of the greatest city in the world, we have so much—anything you could imagine or want, whenever and wherever you want it, some might say—often at our fingertips (or a couple of clicks of a mouse).
However, as New Yorkers, residents of the busiest, most hectic and crowded place on the planet, that type of categorical access can turn the best of us into the most petulant, impetuous, irrational, impatient beings on the blue marble—we want what we want when we want it, and God help those who would impede the process.
The Big Apple has created several million such monsters. The big, bad Amazon deal made us think of these creatures. Even before it was officially announced on Tuesday, elected officials, union leaders, and lobbyists were yelling bloody murder from the rooftops.
Let’s take a second to review the details:
According to the City, in 2019, Amazon will occupy up to 500,000 square-feet at 1 Court Square while working to construct four million square-feet of commercial space on Long Island City’s waterfront over the next 10 years, with expansion opportunities for up to 8 million square-feet over the next 15 years. Through a $3.6 billion total investment, Amazon will draw from the workforce in New York to fill at least 25,000 new jobs by 2029 and up to 40,000 jobs by 2034 with an average annual salary of $150,000. The construction is expected to create an average of 1,300 direct construction jobs annually through 2033. Overall, the project is estimated to create more than 107,000 total direct and indirect jobs and more than $14 billion in new tax revenue for the State and a net of $13.5 billion in City tax revenue.
Among the ancillary benefits of the pact: a new approximately 600-seat intermediate public school, a 3.5-acre waterfront esplanade and park, and the establishment of an LIC Infrastructure Fund to invest 50 percent of the project’s payment-in-lieu-of-taxes proceeds to deliver on transportation and other neighborhood priorities that will be identified in collaboration with the local community.
Seems like a win-win-win, no? Opponents would say hell no. And here, in part, is why:
To bring the project to New York, the State tossed Amazon a package of incentives totaling $1.705 billion.
“Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong,” State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) and City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) wrote in a joint statement they issued prior to leading a large rally on Wednesday morning.
Gianaris and Van Bramer also said the already saturated LIC community and its infrastructure cannot possibly take on any more responsibilities.
However, we’re afraid that some hair-trigger, short-fuse opponents will look at the deal on its face without stopping for a breath to look deeper and roundly pan it. On the way, they will decimate the legitimate debate into the richest man in the world (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos) vs. the poor little guy in LIC.
Tell the big, bad man with his big, bad bucks to go elsewhere for a second home. He’s got enough money. Never mind all the positives his massive project could bring to Queens.
All we’re saying is STOP, take a moment to breathe, look at ALL the facts. See what works, what absolutely will not, take it to the decision makers and go from there. The community needs a say in this.
Relax. We will.
