

During construction, piledriving occurred in the first half of 2020, during the worst of the pandemic. Some community activists have complained about rising rent and gentrification. Still, the changes have not been without some aggravation. I want to commend Amazon’s leadership for doing exactly that,” he said. “We looked to Amazon to learn about our community’s values and embrace them as their own. Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey praised the company’s willingness to partner with the county, particularly on affordable housing. Generally speaking, local leaders have welcomed Amazon and the high-paying jobs it has brought.
Vice restaurant photos free#
Amazon even replicated its well-known banana stand from its Seattle headquarters, offering free fruit to workers and visitors. The company committed hundreds of millions of dollars to help preserve affordable housing in the region, and the project includes a 2.5-acre (1.01-hectare) park, fenced dog run and playground. But opposition to the incentive package in New York helped derail those plans, and the Arlington complex became the sole site for HQ2.Īt Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremonies, Amazon emphasized its efforts to ingratiate itself to the region. Initially, plans for the “HQ2” project called for Amazon to bring 25,000 jobs each to both northern Virginia and New York City. The grand opening of the Met Park office complex in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood near the nation’s capital marks the biggest milestone in the headquarters project since the company announced in 2018 that it would build a second headquarters complex in northern Virginia to complement its existing headquarters in Seattle. (AP) - Amazon unveiled the first phase of its new headquarters complex in Virginia Thursday, a pair of gleaming, amenity-packed office towers that its leaders hope will persuade employees accustomed to working from home during the pandemic to happily return to the office. The towers feature dedicated suites to accommodate group projects and open spaces dubbed “centers of energy” designed to facilitate collaboration.ARLINGTON, Va. In a tour of the complex Thursday, John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate, said the company tweaked the designs to incorporate changes designed to accommodate a post-pandemic workforce. In February, Amazon said it will require all its workers to return to the office at least three days a week, prompting 30,000 workers to sign a petition asking the company to reconsider. Earlier this year, Amazon announced it is pausing the second phase of the HQ2 project, though state and county leaders remain confident that the delay is only temporary. The project launched before the pandemic disrupted office culture. Neighbors stuck in their homes pleaded for relief from the noise, to no avail.Īmazon also designed its headquarters to appeal to its employees.



