HOUSTON – (Commentary by Ralph Bivins) – Houston has long been a center of innovation and entrepreneurial energy. The city has produced notable innovators—from computer entrepreneur Michael Dell and fracking pioneer George P. Mitchell to Jeff Bezos, who attended Houston Independent School District before founding Amazon. Houston’s history of big ideas includes President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 Rice University challenge to land a man on the moon within the decade, a mission led in part by NASA’s Mission Control in southeast Houston. The city still proudly carries the “Space City” identity and retains a can-do spirit that would welcome a company like Amazon.
With the deadline for proposals approaching, Houston should be considered a strong candidate for Amazon’s proposed $5 billion second headquarters. The city can meet the company’s needs for 50,000 new jobs and up to 8 million square feet of office space, and local leaders and residents would welcome the economic boost.
Realty News Report is sending the following memo to Amazon’s leadership to explain why Houston is well suited to host the second headquarters.
MEMO
To: Jeff Bezos, Founder, Amazon
From: Ralph Bivins, Founding Editor, Realty News Report
Re: Consider Amazon’s Second Headquarters in Space City – your former hometown
Amazon Requirement: 500,000 square feet of office space available in 2019. Houston currently has an oversupply of office space, including modern, affordable buildings constructed to high LEED green standards. The city can provide 500,000 square feet by 2019 and has the capacity to design and build the additional 8 million square feet Amazon anticipates needing over the following years.
Amazon Requirement: Within 45 minutes of an international airport. The Houston region has two major international airports. William P. Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport provide extensive domestic and international service. Hobby Airport has seen significant upgrades since your time here, Mr. Bezos.
Amazon Requirement: Population greater than 1 million / sufficient workforce. The Greater Houston area has a population exceeding 6 million and has been one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country over the past decade, offering a large, expanding labor pool.
Amazon Requirement: Diverse population. Houston is one of the nation’s most diverse cities. Research from Rice University highlights Houston’s broad cultural and linguistic variety; students entering kindergarten in the Houston Independent School District speak more than 100 different languages, reflecting deep diversity across the region.
Amazon Requirement: Access to mass transit. Houston operates a functional public transit network that includes an extensive bus system and the METRO light rail that runs through downtown and connects key neighborhoods.
Although the request for proposals does not mandate a downtown location like Amazon’s current Seattle headquarters, the document suggests a preference for an urban environment. Houston offers several compelling urban and near-downtown sites that could fulfill Amazon’s needs and appeal to the workforce Amazon seeks to attract.
Please consider these three Houston locations as starting points for discussions:
800 Bell: This one-million-square-foot downtown tower, formerly the headquarters of Humble Oil, is currently vacant. The 44-story building, owned by Shorenstein Properties, could be renovated to meet a 2019 delivery timeline. It sits one block from METRO light rail, and downtown is seeing a surge in residential development with more than a dozen mid-rise and high-rise projects underway. Surrounding surface parking lots could accommodate additional towers, and downtown’s walkable environment and entertainment options are likely to attract millennial talent more than a suburban campus.
East River: Midway, the developer behind CityCentre, controls 147 acres just east of downtown with one mile of frontage along Buffalo Bayou. The site previously served as the KBR campus (formerly Brown & Root). Midway’s preliminary plans for East River call for up to 8 million square feet of new development—an amount that matches Amazon’s stated space requirement and would allow a fully integrated, mixed-use headquarters campus.
Astrodome: The county-owned stadium is historically significant and ripe for reinvention. As the world’s first air-conditioned domed stadium, the Astrodome inspired innovations such as Astroturf, and it already connects to METRO rail service between downtown and Midtown. The complex sits amid roughly 300 acres of parking and available land that could host major new development. The Astrodome itself contains about 500,000 square feet of interior space that could be reconfigured for innovative office use. Its location on Kirby Drive also places it near River Oaks Elementary, the school you attended, just five miles away.
Each of these sites offers unique advantages: central transit access, room for large-scale development, and proximity to downtown amenities and a diverse workforce. Combined with Houston’s competitive construction costs, business-friendly environment, and deep talent pool, the region can meet both Amazon’s near-term timing and long-term growth needs.
Realty News Report encourages Amazon decision-makers to evaluate Houston as a primary contender for the second headquarters. The city’s infrastructure, labor market, cultural diversity, and available sites present a strong case for hosting a project of this scale and ambition.