How Bellevue Built a City that Amazon Couldn’t Resist
In 2017, Bellevue submitted a formal proposal to Amazon on why Bellevue was the perfect city for Amazon’s HQ2. Although Bellevue was not chosen for HQ2, Amazon announced in April 2019 the decision to relocate the entire worldwide operations team from Seattle to Bellevue by 2023. “This is what we’ve planned for,” Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak said. “I think the challenge now is to stay ahead of the growth.”
According to Bellevue’s Mayor, Bellevue leaders were not surprised by Amazon’s announcement especially after recently announcing the purchase of the Bellevue Corporate Plaza and the lease in the planned development at the old Cadillac dealership site. Both locations are in addition to 425 Centre, Tower 333, and the Summit III.
Amazon has shown a great deal of interest in taking advantage of Bellevue and creating an “urban campus” on the Eastside just like the other “big tech shots” (Google, T-Mobile, Facebook, and Microsoft).
Since the 1970s, Bellevue has crafted intentional and thoughtful city development plans in order to stay ahead of the growth. Amazon’s decision to move to Bellevue has created validation for Bellevue leaders that the city is a place filled with great tech talent.
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