Allegheny Co. Executive Meets With Amazon Executives About HQ Ahead Of Proposal Submission
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald traveled to Seattle to meet with Amazon executives in person this week.
A big ceremony Friday was touting a site many believe would be ideal for locating Amazon's second headquarters, along with 50,000 jobs.
"A wonderful, wonderful site that puts us in a very competitive advantage with that company that begins with an A ends with an N, Amazon, something like that," Fitzgerald said. "Might want to think about where to come."
He's talking about the Almono site, which is now renamed Hazelwood Green. The new name connects it to Hazelwood and underscores the work that's been done to clean up the brown site left behind by the old Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill.
"Ten years ago, it probably wasn't ready to be shovel ready. It is now," Fitzgerald said. "They could build on this right away because of all the work that's been done, the infrastructure improvements that are ready to go."
But Fitzgerald declined to talk about his trip this week to Seattle and his talks with Amazon folks.
"I'm not going to talk about private meetings that we had at this point because next week, we're going to be putting in the proposal," he said. "But I think anybody would, whether it's Amazon or any company, would want to locate in this great site."
Mayor Peduto was more forthcoming about Pittsburgh connections with Amazon.
"There are a lot of local connections to Amazon executives that have a Pittsburgh backing -- either born here, raised here, friends with somebody here," he said. "It's amazing how far that Pittsburgh connection goes."
The Hazelwood Green site has 178 acres and sits along the Mon River. Millions of dollars in grant money and state funds have already been invested to attract new industry, jobs and homes to Hazelwood.
The deadline for cities to submit an application to Amazon is Oct. 17. Amazon is expected to make its choice sometime next year.
