urbanMSP

Maybe we'll get some more details on our proposal in the next couple weeks

Re: Handicapping MSP's chances

I think there are two possible interpretations of Amazon's motives. One is that they want a city where they can become kings, where Jeff Bezos gets the key to the city, where local politicians fall over themselves to please the company and state politicians throw tons of tax breaks at them, and for a narrative of Amazon as the savior turning a city around. The other is that they want a city like Seattle, with many of the built-in advantages that their RFP identifies, like transit, good airport, major university, etc.

I think if it's the former, you'll see Amazon go to a place like Pittsburgh. But if it's the latter, Minneapolis-Saint Paul has a great shot. I count just ten cities outside of the PNW and Silicon Valley which have all of what Amazon says it needs: a preeminent regional university within the metro, a legitimate transit system, and a major airport: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, New York City, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington D.C. To that list, perhaps you can add Denver, as Boulder is relatively close.

Of that bunch, Minneapolis-Saint Paul wouldn't be the obvious choice on those merits alone, but if Amazon wants cheaper land, a cheaper cost of living, and sees advantages to being next-door to two other retail giants in Target and Best Buy, then those points could give it an edge. The kicker would be whether Amazon likes any of the prospective sites.

I see four locations where MSP could pitch Amazon: (1) the area around the future Royalston Station, (2) the southern parts of Downtown East and Elliot Park, (3) southeast of TCF Bank Stadium, and (4) Midway. The first offers a chance for Amazon to really completely transform an area of town and get a station named after them. The second offers chances for lots of infill and mixed uses. The third offers direct proximity to the University, but clashes with the school's plans for that area. The fourth may or may not mesh with the stadium development scheme, but there's certainly the largest amount of area ready to be redeveloped. Depends on what Amazon actually wants, but there's certainly no shortage of land available.

Not to pick apart your post but what is Baltimore's major University? Other than John Hopkins I can't think of one, although the University of Maryland isn't that far down the road.

Not to pick apart your post but what is Baltimore's major University? Other than John Hopkins I can't think of one, although the University of Maryland isn't that far down the road.

Johns Hopkins is #13 worldwide in the THE rankings.