Local Opposition to Amazon HQ Application

“We’ve seen tech companies come and bring wealth into a city, but that wealth is not always shared.”

~Felicia Griffin, executive director of United for a New Economy Colorado

Against the backdrop of economic development professionals nationwide putting the finishing touches on proposals to be the home of Amazon’s new headquarters, a Denver based advocacy organization began circulating an editorial urging planners in Colorado to expand the realm of consideration.

Felicia Griffin, the executive director of United for a New Economy in Colorado told KGNU’s Robin Ryan that she is concerned about the potential impacts on Colorado of the retail giant potentially locating here, including the strain on an already overburdened transportation system and the impact on housing prices.

Seattle based Amazon’s online retail model has been awarded over a billion dollars in subsidies from a number of states to bring jobs and boost economies since the turn of the century, including $1.8 million awarded earlier this year for a facility in Aurora. But Griffin contends that there is cause for concern when it comes to weighing whether the benefit of such agreements are equally shared by the communities the company chooses to house itself and its workforce in.

Word on which cities have offered the most attractive incentives to the company isn’t expected until early next year.