Life after Amazon, one year later residents. Here the HQ2 debacle
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 21-27, 2020 17
BY DONOVAN RICHARDS
AND JULIE SAMUELSI
A full year has passed since
Amazon decided not to locate
its HQ2 in Queens, and in the
days around the anniversary
there has been no shortage of
postmortems.
From the state of our tech
sector to the role of subsidies
in economic development, New
Yorkers have heard a deluge of
hot takes about issues impacted
by HQ2’s demise. But lost in the
noise has been any mention of
the area most affected by the
last 365 days - Queens - which
warrants a brief recap of the
facts.W
hile there’s no doubt that
HQ2 would’ve been game-changing,
Queens is still thriving. A
macro view paints an encouraging
picture. Unemployment
rates are steady at 3.6 percent,
best of all the boroughs, while
we also saw notable increases
in hiring and weekly wages during
2019. Equally relevant is the
steady stream of development
throughout the area, including
a 12,000 square foot coworking
space for entrepreneurs and a
new industrial center that’ll
offer $51,000 average salaries.
It’s no surprise state comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli said “the
Queens economy is booming”
in 2018. Unsurprisingly, that
boom continues in 2020.
At a more granular level,
we’ve also seen the Queens
tech ecosystem take promising
steps forward. A variety of local
tech leaders have been hosting
the Queens Tech Night series,
which helps connect entrepreneurs,
workers, and tech companies
in order to build a more
robust (and socially beneficial)
ecosystem. Industry leaders
like Google have also joined the
action, putting on regular local
tech training events for students,
seniors, and the public
(something they’ve been doing
for multiple years).
Milestones like these
shouldn’t suggest things are
perfect, nor should they leave
Queens leaders content. We still
have a lot of progress to make,
including on the tech front.
COLUMNS
Right now, the tech industry’s
growth remains far too concentrated
in Manhattan, often leaving
behind several neighborhoods
that could benefit from
the advent of new industries,
developments, and jobs.
This is generally true of the
outer boroughs, which outside
of Downtown Brooklyn remain
largely untapped by the tech
sector. Yes, companies like
Netflix have plunged into Williamsburg,
while places like
Staten Island have more distribution
center jobs coming their
way, but the gap between Manhattan
and the rest remains far
too big.
It’s nonetheless also true
that success can’t be defined
by investment alone. It’s
great that two Queens neighborhoods
are projected to
be among the hottest on the
market this year, and there’s
no doubt that’s related to the
uptick in economic activity
in those places. But business
leaders and elected officials
must work together to make
sure these trends benefit all
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LAST WEEK’S TOP STORY:
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SUMMARY: With zero confirmed cases of coronavirus – or
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is a telling example.
While there’s no question
40,000 jobs and $28 billion in tax
revenue would’ve been unprecedented
- and we both certainly
felt the benefits outweigh the
costs - there were absolutely
valid concerns about the project’s
impact on the cost of living
and gentrification. More investment
is a good thing, but it must
be done in a way that doesn’t exclude
everyday people.
Regardless of successes
and shortcomings, one thing
is clear: tech is the future, and
Queens must be prepared. Jobs
and development will continue
to come by virtue of everything
the borough offers, but it
is imperative that everyone is
equipped to thrive when that
happens.
Companies, leaders, and
communities must therefore
work together, to ensure anyone
in Queens can get the education,
training, and skills needed to
succeed. It is also essential that
we prioritize more access to opportunities
for public housing
residents across Queens.
By working with the right
organizations, we can collaborate
to ensure residents have a
path to meaningful paid internships,
career opportunities,
and programs with sustainable
wages and benefits. It is no coincidence
that the highest paying
jobs in Queens are in engineering,
computers, and science,
and there is no reason to assume
that is going to change.
It’s been a year since the HQ2
debacle, and a retrospect offers
a lot of insight for Queens. The
numbers look good and tech
is growing, while many of the
challenges evident then are still
the same. If stakeholders can
embrace our momentum while
working together on key issues,
we will officially make a borough
that’s built for everyone to
succeed.
Julie Samuels is the Executive
Director of Tech:NYC, an
organization representing over
800 New York tech companies
to foster a more dynamic, diverse,
and creative New York.
Councilman Donovan
Richards is the chair of the
Council’s Committee on Public
Safety and represents District
31 in Queens, which encompasses
Laurelton, Rosedale,
Springfield Gardens and Far
Rockaway.
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