Little Rock dumped Amazon with a full-page breakup letter in The Washington Post
It's not me, it's you.
The city of Little Rock, Arkansas, sent Amazon that message Thursday to let the company know Little Rock was no longer interested in the company's new HQ2 project ... by placing a full-page breakup letter in The Washington Post.
The city is concerned that the new 8-million-square-foot headquarters that Amazon wants to build will disrupt transit and traffic flow — and Little Rock isn't alone. Some say the so-called HQ2 will likely detract from local businesses by bringing in outside construction companies. Housing prices could also rise as a result of the development; rent prices in the Seattle area, where Amazon's primary home base is located, spiked 7.2 percent last year alone, according to real estate database Zillow.
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Seventy-three community groups from cities across the U.S. have signed onto a "wish list" for Amazon in an open letter. The civic leaders are pushing for the online retailer to show a commitment to whichever city it chooses in the form of affordable housing and tax revenue.
It's not all bad news for Amazon, though. Some cities are actively trying to impress the company, which has promised to hire 50,000 full-time employees after the $5 billion HQ2 project is completed. Tucson, Arizona, pulled out all of the stops by shipping a 21-foot cactus to the Seattle-based company in an attempt to impress, NBC News reports.
Cities' bids for HQ2 were submitted Oct. 19. Read Little Rock's full breakup letter below. Elianna Spitzer
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