Philly wants to bring Amazon’s HQ here. But where?

Welcome to Open Threads, wherein we'll pass the mic to readers to speak up about topics of interest, distress, horror, and more. This week’s topic: Where in Philly should Amazon build its new headquarters?

On Thursday, Amazon dropped some major news that set cities, including Philly, in a tizzy: The big-time online retailer announced it is looking to build its second headquarters in a U.S. city and metro of more than one million people.

The plan calls for a headquarters that could cost $5 billion and will house at least 50,000 employees. The development would be on par with its current Seattle headquarters, which totals 8.1 million square feet.

No doubt many cities like Philly will be vying for this opportunity. Mayor Jim Kenney said in a punny way that he plans to offer up Philly for consideration.

Lauren Cox, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, confirmed to Curbed Philly that the City of Philadelphia does indeed plan to submit an official proposal to Amazon by the October 19 deadline. But she acknowledged that Philly will no doubt face some tough competition.

“Obviously this is going to be a very competitive process,” Cox said.

But Philly does offer some advantages over other cities, she continued, ticking off a list of the city’s assets: “Philadelphia would provide them with a perfectly located East Coast hub where they have access to a rapidly growing millennial talent pool. We’re also much more affordable than other nearby east coast cities with similar population sizes.”

But where exactly could Amazon set up shop? There’s always the Navy Yard, or around Grays Ferry where Pennovation is located. Or perhaps it would be well-suited among the eds and meds in University City, somewhere in the future Schuylkill Yards or uCity Square innovation hubs.

There’s also plenty of vacant and industrial land in North Philly and parts of southwest Philly that could be brought back to life.

So let’s take it to a poll! Consider these locations just a jumping off point—if you have any more ideas or thoughts about why Philly would (or wouldn’t?) be a good choice for Amazon’s new headquarters, please feel free to take it to the comments.

• Amazon announces plans for new HQ in North America [Curbed]