Maryland

Madaleno: Invest in UMd. to Bring Amazon's Second Headquarters to College Park

A Democratic contender in Maryland's governor race released a plan Monday suggesting the state attract online retailer Amazon by investing $1 billion in the University of Maryland.

Rich Madaleno said the plan would aim to bring Amazon to College Park. The online retailer announced last week that it is seeking a second headquarters.

Madaleno's plan would pump $250 million into the university annually over four years. Amazon would have input on which academic programs receive the money, according to a press release.

The plan also allows Maryland to offer the incentives Amazon wants without giving tax breaks that use public money, Madaleno said in a statement.

"We would be attracting good jobs while simultaneously investing in our people and growing a Maryland talent pool that might spawn the next Amazon. This is good for Amazon's shareholders but even more important it's good for Maryland's shareholders: our taxpayers and our children," Madaleno said.

Future purple line stations may also help entice Amazon, Ken Ulman, University of Maryland's cheif stratergy officer, said in the release. 

Current Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Maryland is an ideal place for Amazon's new headquarters. Amazon says their final decision will be announced in 2018. Proposals to Amazon are due in October. 

The metropolitan area surrounding D.C. is able to fulfill many requirements on the company's wish list for its second home, including a large population, a robust university system, an international airport and a public transportation system.

Washington and Baltimore were two of 20 North American cities that fit all of the company's requirements, according to an analysis from the Brookings Institute

Amazon's CEO and founder, Jeff Bezos, also has connections to D.C. He owns The Washington Post and bought a 27,000 square foot museum in January with plans to convert it into a single-family home in D.C.'s exclusive Kalorama neighborhood, The Washington Post reported.

The new headquarters could bring 50,000 jobs, with an average annual salary of $100,000, according to the company's request for proposals. It would also require up to $5 billion in capital investment from the company over more than a decade.

CORRECTION (Sept. 13, 5:32 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Ken Ulman's workplace. He works for the University of Maryland.

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