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Amazon HQ2 bid by Langford/Westshore in Victoria


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#1 Mike K.

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 12:46 PM

Langford has entered the race to woo Amazon's second North American headquarters to the Westshore.

 

This is for real.


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#2 Jackerbie

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 12:56 PM

...seriously? Here's some of the details from the RFP:

 

In choosing the location for HQ2, Amazon has a preference for:

 Metropolitan areas with more than one million people

 A stable and business-friendly environment

 Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent

 Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options

 

Amazon also has a preference for direct access to trains, metro/subway, and bus routes.

 

The RFP in full is here: https://images-na.ss...V516043504_.pdf



#3 Mike K.

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 12:59 PM

Wow. The Capital is literally none of those things.


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#4 Jackerbie

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 01:06 PM

Wow. The Capital is literally none of those things.

 

You don't think we "think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options" in Victoria?  ;) 



#5 Mike K.

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 01:12 PM

Location: Langford.

 

Answer to the question: no comment.


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#6 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 01:34 PM

Amazon says they will also look favourably at tax concessions etc.

 

Stew says he knows they are not going to win, but they want to be in the same league as some cities that will be considered.  So something smaller takes note.


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#7 Coreyburger

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 04:02 PM

...seriously? Here's some of the details from the RFP:

 

In choosing the location for HQ2, Amazon has a preference for:

 Metropolitan areas with more than one million people

 A stable and business-friendly environment

 Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent

 Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options

 

Amazon also has a preference for direct access to trains, metro/subway, and bus routes.

 

The RFP in full is here: https://images-na.ss...V516043504_.pdf

 

Oh look, they want bike lanes (emphasis mine):

 

include connectivity options: sidewalks, bike lanes, trams, metro, bus, light rail, train, and additional creative options to foster connectivity between buildings/facilities

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#8 AllseeingEye

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 04:28 PM

Yeeeaaahhhhh....no. Just no. Access to lots of technical talent? Their Tyee Road location - the old Abebooks offices which Amazon took on in 2008 or so - has been advertising off and on for 18 months or more for a senior Software Dev Manager, salary range $120-180K and so far zilch, nada, nothing, zero takers. 

 

When I lived in Vancouver in the late 90's working at the old Seagate Software org, now SAP, there was a bizarre rumor started, I'm quite certain on this side of the pond, that Seagate Corporate in Scott's Valley CA was considering plunking a manufacturing plant down in Ye Olde Fake Englande by the Sea. And they did in fact open such a facility. Two of them. In Ireland and Malaysia, each employing several thousand employees. Given they can't even fill the management role noted above can you imagine how long it would take to recruit and train thousands, or even hundreds, of staff here?

 

As far as the Big Boys are concerned there is no way they would ever come here mainly due to the fact that the workforce - typically a younger, under 35 crowd - wants some place with urban chic and cool, and for the most part certainly nothing to do with a city that still rolls up the streets (mostly) by 9pm. Not gonna happen at least in this lifetime. Hence opening sites in uber-cool places like Dublin et al.

 

Victoria, in spite of the natural beauty of our region, ain't no Dublin. Remember Microsoft was already here for a very brief cup of coffee then beat a hasty retreat at their first opportunity. Older folks - senior and operational management-types - may well look upon Victoria as desirable, and it is from the standpoint of a safe environment and raising a family. But the younger set, which mostly predominates in the technical disciplines, will choose a Vancouver or San Francisco (or Dublin) over this town 100 times out of 100....


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#9 spanky123

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 05:38 PM

Has there been a single large company that has moved or acquired a company here that has actually grown?

 

The CTO position at ABE is being advertised from $179K to $300K. I am always suspicious of companies that advertise such a wide range. I wonder how often they actually hire anyone above the lower end of the bracket.


Edited by spanky123, 22 September 2017 - 05:42 PM.


#10 Wayne

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 05:38 PM

Loooooooooong shot. Then some



#11 Cassidy

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 05:51 PM

This is more about how Stu views his municipality, the CRD, the province, the country and the world than it is about getting Amazon to even read the proposal.

 

There could be a lot learned from the way Stu has almost single handedly taken Langford from a veritable Dogpatch to a very livable, new, clean, wealthy municipality.

 

As a lifelong resident of Saanich, I could never live in Langford, I've got too many "locale" prejudices built in over far too many years ... but there are plenty of "newcomers" who view Stu's "work in progress" very positively.

 

Victoria could learn a LOT from Langford ... and Langfords bid for Amazon is just the kind of attitude the City of Victoria has long been missing.


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#12 Nparker

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 06:24 PM

...Victoria could learn a LOT from Langford ... and Langfords bid for Amazon is just the kind of attitude the City of Victoria has long been missing.

While I mostly agree with your assessment, why does Stu's Amazon bid have a sort of David Black-ish feeling of hubris about it?



#13 Coreyburger

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 06:57 PM

new, clean, wealthy municipality.

Really now? All that sprawl is going to get expensive to maintain very quickly.



#14 RFS

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 07:04 PM

Really now? All that sprawl is going to get expensive to maintain very quickly.


Not really. It's mostly bare land stratas. Lots of houses on septic also. It's cheap and efficient

#15 Coreyburger

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 07:06 PM

Not really. It's mostly bare land stratas. Lots of houses on septic also. It's cheap and efficient

 

Until Island Health starts demanding sewage connections for health reasons



#16 On the Level

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 09:18 PM

Not really. It's mostly bare land stratas. Lots of houses on septic also. It's cheap and efficient

Not true exactly true.  Bare Land strata fell out of favour 10 years ago.  Langford has privatized sewage......they pay a yearly fee for sewage that has nothing to do with Langford/property taxes but it's cheap.  It's been that way for years.  



#17 On the Level

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 09:19 PM

Really now? All that sprawl is going to get expensive to maintain very quickly.

How so?...it's all new unlike CoV's 100+ year old infrastructure.



#18 Coreyburger

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Posted 22 September 2017 - 11:01 PM

How so?...it's all new unlike CoV's 100+ year old infrastructure.

 

Cost of maintaining it vs tax base. Low density residential doesn't pay enough in taxes to maintain the services they require (this is the lesson Oak Bay is struggling with)



#19 Cassidy

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 06:01 AM

While I mostly agree with your assessment, why does Stu's Amazon bid have a sort of David Black-ish feeling of hubris about it?

 

I think Langford itself is the very definition of hubris!

From a bunch of tumbledown shacks, with the Westwind Hotel as its only "big building" ... to what it is today required endless hubris - and Stu supplied that for his community in spades!

 

It worked though. That hubris has paid off in many ways ... as a drive up Goldstream Avenue or the Langford Parkway will attest.

 

And you know, when that level of hubris is mixed with Stu's over-the-top "Can Do" attitude ... anything can happen.


Edited by Cassidy, 23 September 2017 - 06:02 AM.

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#20 todd

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 10:28 AM

Yeeeaaahhhhh....no. Just no. Access to lots of technical talent? Their Tyee Road location - the old Abebooks offices which Amazon took on in 2008 or so - has been advertising off and on for 18 months or more for a senior Software Dev Manager, salary range $120-180K and so far zilch, nada, nothing, zero takers. 

 

When I lived in Vancouver in the late 90's working at the old Seagate Software org, now SAP, there was a bizarre rumor started, I'm quite certain on this side of the pond, that Seagate Corporate in Scott's Valley CA was considering plunking a manufacturing plant down in Ye Olde Fake Englande by the Sea. And they did in fact open such a facility. Two of them. In Ireland and Malaysia, each employing several thousand employees. Given they can't even fill the management role noted above can you imagine how long it would take to recruit and train thousands, or even hundreds, of staff here?

 

As far as the Big Boys are concerned there is no way they would ever come here mainly due to the fact that the workforce - typically a younger, under 35 crowd - wants some place with urban chic and cool, and for the most part certainly nothing to do with a city that still rolls up the streets (mostly) by 9pm. Not gonna happen at least in this lifetime. Hence opening sites in uber-cool places like Dublin et al.

 

Victoria, in spite of the natural beauty of our region, ain't no Dublin. Remember Microsoft was already here for a very brief cup of coffee then beat a hasty retreat at their first opportunity. Older folks - senior and operational management-types - may well look upon Victoria as desirable, and it is from the standpoint of a safe environment and raising a family. But the younger set, which mostly predominates in the technical disciplines, will choose a Vancouver or San Francisco (or Dublin) over this town 100 times out of 100....

 

shhh!   ^only positive spin!!^


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