Queens lawmakers are getting ready to rumble with Amazon

Shortly after Amazon announced the creation of its second (and third) headquarters in Queens, New York and Northern Virginia, politicians who helped land the deal lauded Amazon's choice.

"This is a big money maker for us," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference on Tuesday.

But in Long Island City, the gentrifying, former industrial neighborhood sited for one of Amazon's new headquarters, local politicians who weren't part of the negotiations vowed to put up a fight.

"Too much is at stake to accept this without a fight," said New York state Sen. Mike Gianaris and City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, both of Long Island City, in a statement. "We will continue to stand up against what can only be described as a bad deal for New York and Long Island City."

On Wednesday, Gianaris and Van Bramer hosted a rally protesting the $1.5 billion in tax incentives granted to Amazon.

In another statement, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson criticized how Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio negotiated with Amazon.

"I also don't understand why a company as rich as Amazon would need nearly $2 billion in public money for its expansion plans at a time when New York desperately needs money for affordable housing, transportation, infrastructure, and education," Johnson said.

Sheila Lewandowski, a longtime Long Island City resident and active member of the local community board, said she believes the local response has more to do with protesting corporate giveaways than it does with protesting Amazon. (She was speaking of her own views, not on behalf of the community board, she added.)

"This is like tax abatement on steroids," Lewandowski said.

And it comes at a time, Lewandowski said, when residents are already fighting for working sewage pipes, schools and parks in a neighborhood that's seen a rush of new business development in recent years.

The city recently committed to invest $95 million in sewer upgrades, a new school, safer streets and more parks in the neighborhood, but Lewandowski said that infrastructure still remains far behind.

Long Island City has some of the fewest park and playground spaces in the city. And whenever there's a serious storm, the city's combined sewer system tends to push raw sewage into Long Island City's Newtown Creek.

"Infrastructure is in a serious deficit now and getting worse," Lewandowski said. "So if we are not guaranteeing a double-to-triple investment in infrastructure over any proposed giveaways, we are being irresponsible and maybe even negligent."

Not all Queens residents agree. Thomas Grech, CEO and president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, called the Amazon deal "one of the greatest business coups of the last 50 years."

"I think some folks out there tend to make business the big bad business person," Grech said. "Most businesses today have evolved over the last 15 to 20 years to be more compassionate capitalists. They give back to their communities. They sponsor events. What they give back to the community at large, besides the fact that they pay salaries and let people afford homes, I think that's the big difference."

Plus, Grech said, he believes the corporate incentives are nothing compared to the economic ripple effect Amazon will have in Queens.

"How many lattes are their employees going to buy? How many shows will they go to? How many children are those employees going to raise?" Grech asked. "How many of them will get the entrepreneurial itch and start up their own company in Queens County?"

But Lewandowski isn't convinced that Amazon's presence in Queens will distribute opportunity equitably. Even though the neighborhood has become more and more expensive in recent years, more than 20 percent of Long Island City residents live below the federal poverty line.

"There are two major housing projects in walking distance of the area," Lewandowski said. "And the jobs [Amazon] is promising: Are we promising that they’ll all be living wage jobs in New York City? That includes maintenance, cleaning, not just your tech folks and your management."

"The devil," Lewandowski added, "is always in the details."