But four spots are surfacing as likely locations that officials will promote in a bid they hope will net the region up to 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5 billion headquarters.
Suffolk Downs, a 161-acre site in East Boston and Revere, is first on the list as the horse track winds down operations. Owned by HYM Investment Group, LLC, it's located right off the Blue Line, which features some of the newest train cars in the troubled MBTA system. The site is also close to Logan International Airport.
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a powerful lawmaker at the State House, has said he supports the site. In a Twitter post last month, DeLeo noted the educated workforce in Massachusetts and added, "I encourage Amazon to consider Suffolk Downs site."
The Boston Globe reported Thursday that other locations on Boston's potential Amazon list include Widett Circle in South Boston and Dorchester, Beacon Yards in the Allston neighborhood and possibly in the South Station area.
The 83-acre Widett Circle site first came up as an area to redevelop when city officials were hoping to get the Summer 2024 Olympics and put a temporary stadium there. The bid later collapsed, but the site hasn't faded from conversations within the real estate community.
The Beacon Park Yards in Allston, in the northwest part of the city, is another option. Harvard University owns the land, which sits close to the Massachusetts Turnpike.
And what about South Station? A skyscraper is planned for the site, but as one real estate analyst noted to the Globe, additional locations would be necessary in the surrounding area like the Seaport District, which is across the Fort Point Channel and home to the incoming world headquarters of General Electric.
Applications are due to Amazon on Oct. 19.
©2017 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
