Hate the Plan For Amazon's LIC Campus? Wait and See

Many New York residents and elected officials remain enraged about the nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and incentives the city and state have promised to Amazon in exchange for the company's new campus in Long Island City.

The deal was too generous in giveaways and too lax on requiring Amazon to invest in crucial public services like transit and housing, opponents say. At a Monday evening rally in Queens, some critics promised they'd "march forever" to stop the deal from going through as is.

But other observers disagree. While it may be understandable to despise the way the deal was negotiated, they say, the company's new development could result in widespread benefits for the city and the region.

"What it fundamentally comes down to is how much you believe that, in the long term, the subsidies that the city and state are paying out to Amazon will bring a much, much larger return," says Justin Davidson, writer for New York Magazine and author of Magnetic City: A Walking Guide To New York. 

Davidson argues that Amazon's new campus will help diversify New York City's economy, and is the beginning of yet another chapter in a city that is constantly changing. The city and state should keep pushing the company for more investments for public services, he says, but critics should be careful not to dismiss the deal too quickly. 

The company expects to start hiring for the new campus in January. About half of the roughly 25,000 jobs it expects to fill will be tech jobs; others will likely be in administrative positions, marketing, and digital services.