The Northern Virginia Proposal for Amazon’s
New Headquarters
Innovation Lives Here. The Northern Virginia
proposal for the new Amazon headquarters
focused on four key strengths of the region
and the Commonwealth: talent, livability,
connectivity, and business climate. It also
included an overview of National Landing as
well as the state/local partnership proposal
for the project.
Amazon’s new headquarters will generate
substantial economic and fiscal benefits for
Virginia, catalyzing growth and development
throughout the region and the Commonwealth.
The infusion of jobs and capital investment
that a project of this scale represents will
result in substantial new tax revenues, jobs
beyond Amazon, and new growth opportunities
for small business.
New Transportation Investments in Northern
Virginia
National Landing currently has the foundation
of a robust transportation network that
provides commuters and residents access to
bike trails, Metro, bus rapid transit lines,
and a Virginia Railway Express station. To
enhance the network already in place, the
Commonwealth of Virginia as well as Arlington
County and the City of Alexandria will make
significant new investments in transportation
infrastructure in and around National
Landing.
Expanding the Tech-Talent Pipeline in the
Commonwealth
Our region already is one of the top
producers of tech talent in America. We
recognize that tech talent will continue to
propel both NOVA and the entire Commonwealth
forward for decades. That’s why we will
invest to at least double our tech-talent
pipeline, adding 25,000-35,000 new degrees in
computer science and related fields in excess
of current levels.
Virginia Tech’s Vision for an Innovation
Campus in Alexandria
Virginia Tech will create a new center for
tech excellence and talent development at
National Landing that will be home to
cutting-edge education programs, world-class
faculty, breakthrough R&D programs, and
collaborative partnerships with industry and
K-12 public school programs.
Governor Northam and the participating
localities (Arlington and Alexandria) issued
press releases describing Amazon’s major
headquarters project in Northern Virginia, as
well as related state and local commitments.
VEDP commissioned an economic and fiscal
impact analysis that was performed by the
Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason
University. The study estimates new revenues
and costs associated with HQ2 for Arlington
County and the Commonwealth of Virginia, by
year. While the study assumes a single
location for HQ2 (i.e., 50,000 jobs over two
decades), the economic and fiscal impact
estimates remain on target for the first 12
years (through FY2030) for the 25,000-job
announcement, based on the job-creation
forecast provided by Amazon.
Details of Virginia’s post-performance
incentive commitments and the regional
transportation program are described in an
MOU between the Commonwealth of Virginia and
Amazon. The MOU also describes minimum
compensation levels required for incentives
to be provided, among other parameters.