Amazon, the e-commerce giant, is in search of a new headquarters, and Suffolk Downs, which sits in both Revere and Boston, has made the ‘shortlist’.

In an effort to impress them, Amazon’s team has received a 218-page bid, detailing what the city has to offer them. While the expansion of the Internet-based superstore to Boston would bring thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue and taxes, there could also be some inadvertent consequences to their expansion.

In the bid request, Amazon detailed exactly what they would need in a potential city, which would need to be in North America. This list included: connectivity to a major airport, a highly educated workforce and top-rated universities, and a public transportation system. The Suffolk Downs property has everything that Amazon is looking for in what Amazon is calling “HQ2” which could bring as many as 50,000 high paying jobs, after they invest the initial $5 billion dollars that it would require to get the site that they select up and going.

In order to have HQ2 in the Bay State, many major roads around the City, including the one that leads to Logan International Airport- one of Amazon’s requirements- would require millions in improvements. According to cnbc.com, the state would need to invest over $800 million dollars in order to be able to bring Amazon to the Bay State.  If Massachusetts was chosen for HQ2, the following improvements would need to occur, which come at heavy price tags: Red Line- Blue Line connector ($746 million), Blue Line Commuter connection ($25 million), 1A improvements ($40 million) and Bennington Street and East Boston Greenway improvements ($16.3 million).

“I’d like to see it in Massachusetts, but maybe not in Boston,” said Mr. Richard Fisher, one of many Bay State residents who think that HQ2 would be beneficial in Massachusetts. “All of the attributes that they are looking for Boston has, but as it is, Boston is over congested in its schools and transportation systems, so I am not sure if the city of Boston is the right place. Adding 50,000 people to the commute would definitely be rough.”   

Despite some hesitation as to whether Boston proper is the right place for Amazon’s new headquarters, Fisher, and many other residents think that having HQ2 in the state would be a plus. “There is a great culture, with great schools, along with the ocean and mountains, which leads to Massachusetts being a potentially attractive place for Amazon,” Fisher said.

Some of Triton’s own students agree that HQ2 coming to Boston would benefit the state. “I think it would be good, because it would bring a lot of jobs and help the economy get back up and running. While I wouldn’t work for them just because it is not what I want to do in life, I feel as though they’d be a very good company to work for,” said senior Amanda Sheehan.

Olivia Doane, also a Triton High School senior, shares a similar view. “I think it would be good. I like Amazon a lot, and I think that it would really help the state out with all of the money that it would bring. I do, however, think that there would be a huge increase in the amount of traffic, especially going into the city in the morning and out of the city at nights, and there would be a lot more ‘weekender traffic’ which could be a problem. I feel like if the state really wants Amazon in Boston and there is a need for new ways to deal with the increased traffic, they will bring in more infrastructure,” Doane said.

Amazon is not expected to make its final decision on where they are going to build HQ2 until Q2 next year, however it seems as though Boston has made the ‘short-list’ of options. (Stay tuned for future coverage of this story from The Triton Voice.)