According to news published in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon intends to split their HQ2 between two locations. The same report also states that “Dallas” is still in the running. And, if Dallas is still in the running, then, perhaps, Plano is too.
Amazon HQ2 split
According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon has made the decision to pick two cities as the location of their new HQ2. This means that they will build two equal HQ2 offices, one in each city. Each location will cater to approximately 25,000 employees. They will also keep their current location in Seattle.
If true, the decision to have two HQ2 locations would have many benefits including a reduced need for additional housing, as well as reduced concerns over transit and traffic congestion the addition of so many employees to one area could cause. It would also make recruiting easier.
The Dallas bid for Amazon HQ2
While the Wall Street Journal cited Dallas as one of the potential two HQ2 locations, it is important to remember that the Dallas bid was made jointly by the Dallas Regional Chamber and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and included a list of at least 30 sites across the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. It is not clear if the selection has been narrowed down to locations within the City of Dallas or if “Dallas” references the collective Dallas bid.
The list of sites included in the Dallas bid was never publicly announced, but, according to a press release from the Dallas Regional Chamber all city-submitted sites that met Amazon’s criteria were included in the bid. It is widely believed that in addition to Dallas, locations in Fort Worth, Frisco, Allen, Plano, Irving, Richardson, Denton, Carrollton and Westlake were also included.
Amazon HQ2: Plano’s potential
According to a story published in Community Impact Newspaper, the four Plano sites submitted were: the Haggard farm property located directly east of the Dallas North Tollway between Windhaven Parkway and West Spring Creek Parkway; Lavon Farms off Jupiter Road between Parker Road and East Spring Creek Parkway; Legacy Central, the former Texas Instruments campus at 75 and Legacy Drive; and the downtown Plano area.
Of these four Plano sites, Legacy Central seems to be out of the running given that the former Texas Instruments home is now open and already occupied by tenants.
However, in a discussion on the future of downtown Plano, Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere hinted that the current location of Collin Creek mall would be an ideal site for a future Amazon headquarters. “There’s opportunity for a major user at Collin Creek Mall,” said Mayor LaRosiliere.
“One of the key components of the [Amazon headquarters] project is mass transit so to me, if Plano is in the running, those sites on the east side [downtown Plano] are our best shot,” added the Mayor.
