NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is pausing construction of its second headquarters in Virginia following the largest round of layoffs in the company’s history and the changing landscape of remote work.
The Seattle-based company is delaying the start of construction on PenPlace, the second phase of development of its Northern Virginia headquarters, John Schoettler, Amazon’s real estate chief, said in a statement. He said the company has already hired more than 8,000 employees and will welcome them to the Met Park campus, its first phase of development, when it opens in June.
“We are always evaluating space plans to make sure they fit our business needs and create a great employee experience, and since Met Park will have space to accommodate more than 14,000 employees, we decided to expand the groundbreaking PenPlace (the second phase of HQ2) a little bit,” Schoettler said.
Amazon announced plans in February 2021 for a landmark 100-foot Helix Tower to anchor the second phase of its redevelopment plans. The new office towers were expected to welcome more than 25,000 employees upon completion.
