A California city is offering Amazon a $400 million incentive to build its headquarters near the US-Mexico border

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October 18, 2017 4:57 PM

The city of Chula Vista is offering Amazon a $400-million incentive package, 8 million square feet of land, and the "world's first binational university".

The city of Chula Vista, California is offering a $400-million incentive package to Amazon if it decides to build its second headquarters there.
The plan would be part of the larger redevelopment of Chula Vista's downtown.
The bid also includes a proposal for what would be the "world's first binational university" with campuses in the United States and Mexico.

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Its 25-page proposal, called "Welcome Home Amazon," outlines a $400-million incentive package in the form of tax breaks, and promises to give Amazon 8 million square feet of space.

Chula Vista's Amazon proposal is part of a larger redevelopment plan for the city over the next 20 years, which will be completed whether or not Amazon comes to the California city. The area is currently home to over 260,000 people, but its masterplan (dubbed "Millenia") calls for 11

Amazon's site in Chula Vista would be about six miles from the United States-Mexico border in Tijuana. The city's proposal also calls for the creation of "the world's first binational university" near Amazon's headquarters — which would have campuses in both California and Mexico.

"We dream of a university that is integrated with industry so much so that classes could be held on the second floor while industry and internships are happening on the third, fourth and fifth floors. We want a university that prepares students to enter the workforce the day they graduate, regardless of what country they come from," the city wrote in its bid.

Chula Vista said construction on Amazon's HQ2 site could be completed as early as 2020.

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