Boston Moves Ahead With Spot On Amazon HQ2 Shortlist

Amazon announced Thursday it narrowed down the initial Amazon HQ2 playing field of 238 applicants to a shortlist of 20, including Boston and other cities mostly seen as leading contenders from the early days of the bidding process.

"I am proud that Boston is on Amazon's shortlist for its second North American headquarters,” Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a prepared statement. “As a thriving city with a talented and diverse workforce, culture of innovation and opportunity for all, I see no better city than Boston for Amazon to call their second home."

Boston was joined by other top HQ2 contenders like Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and Denver. Smaller cities like Nashville and Pittsburgh made the cut along with some surprising locations, like Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis. The D.C. area got three spots on the shortlist, including the city itself, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. But the mood is optimistic going forward in New England. 

“This is exciting news but was expected. Boston offers everything Amazon is looking for and should remain on the shortlist all the way to the finals,” Colliers International Director of Research Aaron Jodka said. “It is clear Amazon wants to be here. They are on the hunt for up to 1M SF in the market.”

Making the shortlist is the second piece of Amazon in Boston real estate news in a week. It was revealed last week the company was looking in the Seaport for between 500K and 1M SF of offices, roughly the same size requirement for the first phase of HQ2.

While the Seaport scouting is not necessarily the second headquarters, it is a reminder of how appealing Boston is for both its tech talent and quick access to a rapidly growing international airport minutes away from potential office sites.

“Boston is the best location for Amazon for many reasons, including the business environment, the educational community, the pleasant topography, the accessibility to Europe as a complement to Seattle’s accessibility to Asia and the ease of being able to have a full day in either the world’s most important city or national capital,” Perry Brokerage Director of Intelligence Brendan Carroll said. 

This is a developing story.