Cities across the U.S. battled for over a year to win Amazon’s new headquarters, offering billions in tax breaks to one of the world’s largest companies and pledging capital investments to better serve an originally-anticipated influx of 50,000 employees.
Tuesday’s announcement that New York City and northern Virginia came out on top — each getting half what it initially expected — prompted a fresh round of criticism that Amazon’s contest, which drew interest from more than four dozen locations, was an elaborate ploy to extract significant concessions for a business that recently crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark.
New York offered $1.52 billion in incentives, including $1.2 billion in tax credits over the next decade and a $325 million cash grant, while Virginia agreed to a $573 million incentive package, including a $550 million cash grant contingent on Amazon meeting job-creation targets.
[Also read: Amazon HQ gives New York biggest return in history on economic investment]
Outside of the subsidies, Virginia offered several other lures. Here are five of the most significant:
Protection from public records laws: The Commonwealth agreed to give Amazon a two-day notice prior to the release of any materials submitted as part of the agreement between the two parties under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to allow the tech giant to “seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy.” The government will also work with Amazon on record requests to redact portions of the materials to “the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.”
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority improvements: The Commonwealth agreed to build new entrances at the Crystal City and Potomac Yard train stops.
Helicopter access: The Commonwealth pledged to help Amazon obtain the necessary state and federal approvals to operate a helipad at its new facility. It will likely be used to transport senior executives like Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos, who in 2003 survived a helicopter crash with minor injuries. Helipads are not uncommon at headquarters for large corporations, a spokesperson said, and will not be used for employee transportation.
A new bridge to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport: The connecting bridge would come after Amazon has created 2,500 new jobs in the area with wages equal to the average salary target, which starts at $150,000 in 2019 and rises 1.5 percent per year. The Commonwealth pledged to “provide funding on an accelerated basis” for its construction at a “mutually agreeable” location.
A $20 million transportation investment: Along with funding for a new connecting bridge, the Commonwealth pledged to expand transit operations in the “National Landing” area, which includes the Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Potomac Yards neighborhoods.
