Why Indy would be a good home for Amazon’s HQ2
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Ball State University economist predicts that Indianapolis will be a top contender out of Amazon’s 20 finalist cities for the company’s second headquarters.
The project would bring 50,000 jobs and billions of dollars in community development to the circle city. Economist Michael Hicks said he believes Indianapolis can handle the growth.
“I actually think they are probably in the top 10 (out of the 20 cities),” Hicks said.
Pointing to the area’s strengths, Hicks said central Indiana has room to grow, is affordable and is home to several universities. He says that gives us an advantage over most other cities on the list.
“This (the second Amazon headquarters) is so much bigger. It’s more than 10 times a big corporate headquarters elsewhere,” Hicks said. “That demands almost a city of its own.”
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett won’t disclose exact locations but he said Indy’s proposal includes potential sites within the city and at least one in a surrounding county.
George Tikijian, of the real estate advisers Tikijian Associates, said Indianapolis is “a big city, but we still have plenty of land to develop.”
Tikijian said the city’s apartment occupancy rate is near 94 percent and there aren’t many houses available, but it’s cheaper to build homes or offices here than in most other big cities.
“We could accommodate 100,000 to 150,000 more people eventually, because we have room to continue to build both in the urban downtown area and in the suburbs,” Tikijian said.
Hicks said the rapidly changing weather and lack of mass public transportation could hurt Indianapolis’ chances. He hopes Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, will come see the Hoosier state.
“If he can talk to the leadership, if he and his selection team actually make it to the area, I think we’re going to be more competitive,” Hicks said.
Hicks said some neighboring counties might be better suited for the headquarters than Indianapolis because of their strong public schools.
He expects Amazon is also looking closely at Raleigh, South Carolina, and Columbus, Ohio.