CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — Eastern Panhandle officials were excited to learn that one of the world’s largest companies will be opening their second headquarters nearby.
Amazon officially announced Tuesday that “HQ2” will be split between New York City and Crystal City in Arlington County, Va. Amazon’s Virginia site, expected to bring 25,000 jobs, is less than 60 miles from the West Virginia state line.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is investing $195 million dollars for infrastructure needed for the project. This will include a pedestrian bridge from the site to neighboring Reagan National Airport.
“This is a big win for Virginia,” said Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam following the announcement. “I’m proud Amazon recognizes the tremendous assets the Commonwealth has to offer and plans to deepen its roots here.”
Jefferson and Berkeley Counties have increasingly become a “bedroom community” for DC-area commuters. MARC runs a daily commuter rail line from Martinsburg to Duffields before leaving the state at Harpers Ferry.
“We had hoped that one of the locations would be close to Jefferson County,” said Jefferson County Development Authority Executive Director Nicolas Diehl. “I think that it will certainly provide some job opportunities for residents of Jefferson County. We hope to see some bleed-over business come to Jefferson County. It’s probably several years away but we hope to be able to see some of that within the next decade.”
In addition, a project extending DC Metro’s silver line through Dulles International Airport onward to Ashburn, Va. is expected to be finished in 2020. This will allow Eastern Panhandle residents to be able to drive to a Metro station within a roughly 30 mile drive.
“The new Metro stop is real close to Dulles (International Airport),’ said Diehl. “It will be extremely convenient to be able to hop on the Metro and go into town.”
Amazon will be part of National Landing; a mixed-use development consisting of hotels, restaurants, high-rise apartment buildings, retail and commercial space. It will be served by three Metro stations, according to plans released by developer JBG Smith. More details and renderings of National Landing can be found here.
Hiring for the Virginia and New York headquarters will begin in 2019.