Amid Stalled Construction in National Landing, Amazon Gets No HQ2 Incentives

Virginia and Arlington promised Amazon hundreds of millions in exchange for economic transformation. As Amazon delays construction and confronts global layoffs, the bill still isn't due.

A view of Crystal City in June, 2019. The neighborhood is part of a rebranded area known as National Landing where Amazon planned its flashy second headquarters.

Photographer: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sarah Holder and

Linda Poon

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At PenPlace, the centerpiece of Amazon Inc.'s planned second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the gap between rendering and reality is stark. The rendering for its signature building: lush trees climbing a gleaming glass helix, as busy workers swarm below. The current reality: a dusty construction site.

Amazon announced its plans to build a new HQ in Arlington County in 2018, ending a months-long country-wide bidding war which saw some states and cities promise upwards of $6 billion to attract the e-commerce giant. The Virginia region made headlines for its less extravagant approach, which tied comparatively modest state and county incentives to tangible benefits Amazon pledged to provide.