Thursday is the final day for cities to submit their proposal to be the home of Amazon's second headquarters.
Baltimore City leaders submitted their proposal on Wednesday.
“Amazon, this is the place,” said Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.
Officials didn’t reveal the specifics of what the City offered, including financial incentives, those details were sealed in a box.
“We don't want to give anyone a heads up in terms of what Baltimore is offering,” said Mayor Pugh, who signed the official bid during a ceremony.
However, business leaders are pushing one perk that they believe gives Baltimore an advantage over other cities competing for Amazon HQ2.
“Other folks may have to offer gifts because we're already shovel-ready,” Mayor Pugh said.
Baltimore Development Corporation and Sagamore Development selected Port Covington as the location. The site is soon to be the home to Under Armour's headquarters and is also ready to accommodate another corporate partner.
“You don't have to go through the City Council, the land use, the base zoning is already here. Everything we need in order for them to come and start digging is in place. So, I think that gives us a head start,” said Bill Cole, president and CEO of Baltimore Development Corporation.
Bidders had around six weeks to get their proposals in order. Some of the requirements included 500 thousand square feet in or nearby a major city, close to an international airport, and within two miles of a major highway. Boxes that Baltimore checks and then some.
“You know, we've got all of these reasons and the part we think is most important is we're affordable. By all comparison to anyone else competing, we're very affordable. So you've got the accessibility, you've got the land, and you've got the affordability,” Cole said.
So while Tucson offers a 21-foot cactus and Stonecrest, Georgia proposes to rename part of their City “Amazon,” Baltimore is sticking to their business plan.
“We know other cities have done crazy stuff and it's neat, but we decided to focus our energy on the actual response,” Cole said.
Amazon said it will announce its decision for the new headquarters in 2018.
The project is expected to bring 50,000 jobs and the company plans to spend $5 billion on capital investment.
