Despite HQ2 Plans, Amazon Continues to Grow in Seattle
Upon the announcement that Amazon was on the hunt for a second headquarter location, many wondered what impact a new city would have on the company’s presence in Seattle. Recent activity from the retail giant has shown, it is definitely not slowing things down. According to reports, Amazon “has increased its forecast for the size of its campus in Seattle by about 2 million square feet, the equivalent of three additional skyscrapers,” which means the company will occupy nearly 14 million square feet of office space once current and planed projects are complete.
In early Fall when Amazon began searching for HQ2, they projected they’d grow their Seattle presence to about 12 million square feet. And as the Times notes, “at that time, Amazon’s “was already the largest presence of any company in a major U.S. city. The company, with more than 40,000 employees in Seattle, is the city’s largest employer.” Since then, they’ve leased all planned office space at the forthcoming Rainier Square skyscraper, much of the Macy’s buildings, and two mid-rise buildings in the South Lake Union neighborhood. Prior to the most recent Amazon square footage announcements, Seattle Times reported that it would take 43 companies to match the 8.1 million square feet of Amazon office space in Seattle – one can only imagine how many companies it will take when Amazon grows into its 14 million square feet.
For more on “Amazonia,” read the full Seattle Times article here >>
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