Clark Construction ends biweekly Amazon HQ2 construction updates

Clark Construction has stopped its bi-weekly communication with the neighbors of Metropolitan Park, which is the first phase of Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters. The two towers are nearing their opening.

For 40 months, the Met Park portion of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s HQ2 was under construction on a site of 6.2 acres located north of 15th Street South and facing South Eads Street.

Over the past few years, 9,400 workers in 40 different trades have excavated over 440,000 cubic yards, built two 22-story office towers with steel and concrete, installed almost 1,000 door frames, sodded the central public green of 8,800 square feet, and sent out more than 100 updates to the community, including trivia questions and "How it's Built" features, as well as community news such road closure updates and the end of pile driving.

In a video message that accompanied the Friday update, Jeff King, Clark Construction Vice President and one of Met Park's project leaders, stated: 'We hope you enjoy what we achieved together.'

Amazon will celebrate the grand opening of HQ2 in June. The north and south towers at 510 and 525" 14th St. S are 2.1 million square feet and include 65,000 sq. ft. of retail space on the street level, as well as electric vehicle charging stations and greywater exchange systems. The 2-acre park includes three art installations, a dog run, a playground of 5,000 square feet, seating areas, a 2,300-square foot landscaped garden, and a banana cart, among other amenities.

Amazon's mandatory company-wide requirement that employees work three days per week in the office is not expected to take effect at HQ2 until the towers are open. Amazon had 6,939 employees eligible for incentives at HQ2 as of December 31. It applied for grants of $152.7 million from Virginia, which is $22,000 per employee.

Amazon's grant application reported that the total number of positions created between November 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018, was 8,430. However, about 1,500 are not eligible for the incentive because of a variety of reasons. They may be new hires at HQ2 who have yet to relocate, employees hired at the HQ2 location but who moved away due to the pandemic or employees living in the HQ2 area but working there.

Clark's most recent update confirms that the dedicated project email will remain active and Clark will continue keeping neighbors informed about any further construction impacts. Updates may resume if the second phase of PenPlace, which is currently being delayed, progresses. Clark has already stated that it will be leading this development.

Clark wrote that the forest walk, the edible garden, and the children's playground will soon be accessible to everyone. Local businesses will soon activate new retail space, offering new flavors and amenities that will enhance the community. Metropolitan Park's 22-story towers are soon to be filled with people and new ideas.