Read the details of Newark’s Amazon HQ2 proposal

By
Rich Pizzutillo
-

The secret is out: Newark has handed over the details of its proposal for Amazon’s coveted second headquarters.

The law firm Pashman Stein Walder Hayden posted the city’s proposal on its Open Public Records Act blog after reportedly receiving the proposal after a client sued the city for it. (Click the blog link to view the posting, which contains download links for the proposal.)

NJ Advance Media first reported the release of the proposal Wednesday evening.

“I strongly believe in open government,” the client, Steven Wronko, said on the OPRA blog. “The people of New Jersey, especially Newark residents, deserve to know what their government is doing.”

A portion of the proposal, the details of the reported $7 billion in tax incentives offered by various local and state entities, is redacted in the PDF files posted by Pashman Stein.

“Other finalist cities put their proposals online as part of their (public relations) campaigns to win Amazon over,” Wronko’s attorney, CJ Griffin of Pashman Stein, said on the blog. “The citizens of those other finalist cities got to be part of the process and see how their cities were being promoted. That builds pride and buy-in from residents. The people of Newark were completely excluded, but we are happy that they can now be part of the process.”

Amazon has said the so-called HQ2 could mean 50,000 jobs and $5 billion worth of development for the winning city. The e-commerce giant has narrowed its choices down to 20 finalists, including Newark. New York and Philadelphia are also on the short list.

Newark’s proposal included multiple potential sites for HQ2, including locations on the waterfront and elsewhere downtown. Representatives of the company visited the city earlier this month.

Newark also has created a website with information on the proposal called Yes, Newark. (Click the link to view the site.)

READ MORE from ROI-NJ on Newark’s quest for HQ2