Bristol Twp., Bensalem Facing 236 Other Amazon HQ2 Proposals

Bristol Township and Bensalem’s proposals for Amazon’s second headquarters are competing against 236 other plans submitted to the Seattle-based company.

Amazon officials said the team will review the applications before picking a location for their massive second headquarters, which they are calling HQ2. The company has stated the community they pick for their second headquarters could bring a $5 billion investment and as many as 50,000 jobs.

Bristol Township and Bensalem are competing against several other proposals in the Philadelphia region, including ones from the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Camden.

Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Vermont did not submit bids for the Amazon project. Several Canadian cities and provinces submitted their own proposals.

Per Amazon’s request for proposals, the company is seeking enough land for what could end up being 8 million square feet of facilities, a metropolitan area of more than 1 million people, proximity to highways and an international airport, a community that “thinks big and creatively” and areas with the potential to attract and retain technical talent.

Bristol Township’s proposal focused on Dow Chemical’s 794-acre riverfront Maple Beach property. The diverse property offers plenty of land, infrastructure, access to highways and the Philadelphia airport and proximity to a skilled workforce.

Bensalem’s proposal lays out plans in an attempt to lure Amazon to the 675-acres along the river that are open for development. The proposal features many draws similar to Bristol Township’s submission and would keystone the township’s Riverfront Revitalization District.

Amazon’s current headquarters and campus is made up of more than 8 million square feet and features 33 buildings, 24 eateries and has more than 40,000 employees. Worldwide, Amazon employs more than 380,000 people at facilities located in a diverse section of locations.