As Amazon moves major team out of Seattle, mayor of neighboring city celebrates ‘Bellevue Prime’

Amazon is commonly criticized for its huge ambitions — which might typically appear imperialistic in scale. However the mayor of Bellevue, Wash., had nothing however reward for the Seattle tech large when he delivered his annual State of the Metropolis handle this week.

John Chelminiak celebrated Amazon’s choice to relocate its worldwide operations staff from Seattle to Bellevue, the place the tech large was initially based. The transfer will carry hundreds of jobs to town, which sits throughout Lake Washington from Amazon’s Seattle headquarters.

“It was a lift that we’d like and I feel all of us must thank Amazon for coming again residence,” Chelminiak mentioned in entrance of a backdrop that learn “Bellevue Prime.”

This week Amazon bought a 3.5-acre parcel in Bellevue, a serious improvement web site that would ultimately change into a centerpiece of the tech large’s quickly rising footprint there. Amazon opened its first Bellevue workplace constructing in 2017. In lower than two years, the corporate’s Bellevue presence has multiplied to greater than 1 million sq. ft, not counting this new improvement web site.

Why it issues: Bellevue and Seattle discover themselves in a weird love triangle with Amazon, which has an more and more contentious relationship with its hometown. Amazon mentioned the choice to relocate its crucial worldwide operations staff was due, partially, to Bellevue’s “business-friendly surroundings.” It’s simple to learn that as a slight towards Seattle Metropolis Corridor, which Amazon has described as “hostile … towards bigger companies.”

Sharing the highlight: Although Chelminiak is thrilled in regards to the inflow of Amazonians, he spent extra time throughout his speech praising Washington’s different tech titan. “I additionally need to discuss in regards to the significance of our group and one other firm that has achieved one thing that, in my thoughts, is past unbelievable and that’s the effort by Microsoft to work within the reasonably priced housing space,” he mentioned.

In January, Microsoft launched a brand new $500 million fund to assist low- and middle-income housing within the Seattle area. The software program large is headquartered close to Bellevue in Redmond, Wash.