Startups
Economics / Universities

UMD looks to put College Park in the running for Amazon HQ2

The University of Maryland is putting in a bid for Amazon's second headquarters. Officials said a Discovery District is already being developed in College Park.

Photo courtesy of http://umd.edu

When Amazon announced its search for the home of its future second headquarters, Baltimore and D.C. were quickly among the locales in the area under consideration.
But what would a Maryland competition be without the Terps?
University of Maryland officials said in a statement that they’re “ready to deliver,” and put together a proposal for College Park to house HQ2. The university said it is willing to partner with the state of Maryland, Prince George’s County and the city of College Park.
“When you read through the entire Amazon H2Q RFP it screams the University of Maryland and College Park,” said UMD Chief Strategy Officer Ken Ulman. “We hit the marks in every category – land availability, business friendly environment, labor force, logistics, cultural community fit and so much more. We are shovel ready and can handle the entire requirement in our thriving Discovery District. Our highly educated, diverse community welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with one of the world’s great companies.”
While it’s not an existing city, UMD has a project that’s looking to increase density and concentrate activity. The university’s statement pointed to the Greater College Park initiative, which seeks to redevelop the Baltimore Avenue corridor near campus. A new Discovery District is being built there, which will have space for startups, arts, culinary ventures and housing.
As for existing ties to the company, the campus is one of the initial sites for same-day pick-up service.
For what it’s worth, the New York Times’ Upshot crunched the numbers and said Denver should win the race.

Companies: University of Maryland
Series: Amazon HQ2
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