Pima County attempts to lure Amazon to Tucson with 120-acre parcel of land
Nov 2, 2017, 4:30 PM
FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2007 file photo, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, introduces the Kindle at a news conference in New York. Amazon launched at the dawn of the Web as an online bookseller twenty years ago on July 16, 1995. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
PHOENIX — In an effort to woo Amazon in a massive bid to house the online giant’s second headquarters, Tucson sent a 21-foot tall cactus to the company’s Seattle headquarters.
But when that failed, the southern Arizona city decided to go a different route: Offering up a 120-acre parcel of land that was near a major state highway.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Pima County is attempting to lure the online giant to Tucson using the land, which was located along Sunset Road west of Interstate 10.
The county hopes that the land’s proximity to the highway, University of Arizona, Mexico and the airport will be enough to swing the company its way.
But Tucson is not alone in attempting to appeal to Amazon: 238 cities and regions in the United States, Canada and Mexico submitted proposals for the company’s second headquarters before last month’s deadline.
The second headquarters will cost more than $5 billion to build and will house as many as 50,000 employees.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in September that the state will try to persuade Amazon to locate here, but noted that the rush by states to lure the online giant will be competitive.
A recent poll found that 49 percent of Arizonans want state leaders to work and attract Amazon to establish its new headquarters in the state.
The company was expected to make its decision sometime next year.
