
Irvine Company Elevates Frenzied Competition for Amazon HQ2
The competition to land Amazon’s HQ2 ratcheted to new heights with the public unveiling of the City of Irvine’s proposal. In the $5-billion sweepstakes for the e-commerce giant’s second headquarters, Irvine’s offer encompasses a fully-financed and fully-approved solution that arrives with the backing of the wealthiest real estate baron in America, Irvine Company’s Donald Bren.
The developer is offering to provide Amazon eight million square feet of interconnected campuses within Irvine Spectrum. Amazon will not be required to invest capital for land acquisition, buildings or entitlements to build its new campus.
Irvine Company Chairman Bren’s personal letter to Amazon’s founder and CEO, Jeffrey Bezos, laid out the case. “With the Irvine Company proposal, Amazon will not be required to invest capital for land acquisition, buildings, or entitlements to build your new campus,” wrote Bren. “In essence, you would have a one-click shopping opportunity and be able to capitalize on our in-place property development rights, thus avoiding potential delays, because Irvine Company has invested more than 60 years master planning 93,000 acres of land, and designing and overseeing the creation of the largest new city in America…Irvine, California.”
Bids were due Thursday, and Amazon plans to announce a winner sometime next year.
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