Drumroll, please — the much-anticipated shortlist of potential cities for Amazon's second headquarters is out.
Out of 238 proposals, 20 cities made the cut, including...Dallas. Not “Dallas-Fort Worth.” Not “DFW.” Just “Dallas.”
Both Dallas and Fort Worth, however, submitted a joint proposal to Amazon last year. So does that mean Fort Worth is still a candidate?
According to a joint statement by the Dallas Regional and Fort Worth chambers — yes.
“The DFW Region's unified submittal was diligent, thoughtful and comprehensive in responding to the specific questions outlined in the Amazon RFP and gave us a chance to showcase the many reasons DFW has been such a strong and growing business community over the past eight years,” said Mike Rosa, senior vice president of economic development at the Dallas Regional Chamber. “We're proud of the great work done by our regional cities and leaders. We're looking forward to the next steps and are in direct contact with Amazon to begin that process.”
Fort Worth leaders learned of Amazon's finalists list just before the annual Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth commercial real estate forecast, Thursday morning at Casa Mañana.
Robert Sturns, the city's economic development director and one of the forecast speakers, told the audience the city didn't know yet what Amazon meant by “Dallas.” But he reminded the group that Fort Worth-Dallas submitted a regional proposal.
“Are they speaking of Dallas proper?” Sturns said, adding the city was working on determining what Amazon meant. “More to come on that. But we're excited to know from a regional standpoint, Amazon is considering a site” in the region.
Sturns said both cities have a phone conversation with Amazon on Friday to confirm the meaning of the announcement. He said he believes the Fort Worth-Dallas area made the list due to factors like the centrality of its location, affordable cost of living and access to a large pool of employees.
While the exact city where Amazon will set up shop is yet to be seen (other finalists include Chicago, Denver, L.A., and Washington D.C.), Brandom Gengelbach, executive vice president of economic development for the Fort Worth Chamber, said in a statement that he's glad the Fort Worth-Dallas area is being considered.
“One of the most compelling aspects of our proposal was the diversity of options we offer as a regional hub of economic development,” he said. “We are excited that Amazon has determined that our region's proposal merits additional consideration, and we're confident that upon further inspection Amazon will soon realize all of the reasons why this region has been a magnet for corporate headquarters locations in recent years.”
Scott Nishimura contributed to this report.
