Geekwire recently published an article following up with the question of Amazon being taxed in Bellevue. Danny Westneat from The Seattle Times wrote an article in June asking if an Amazon tax would be coming. This was after a Bellevue City of Council meeting took place in March discussing the city’s budget deficit and ways to gain revenue.
According to the article, Geekwire reached out to councilmember Conrad Lee, who told them that there is no intention to add on additional taxes for Amazon or other companies in Bellevue as they do not see a need for it.
Since first moving much of their employees to the Eastside, Amazon now has close to 10,000 Bellevue-based employees. This number will continue to grow, as they have committed to increasing the employee count to 25,000. The company expects to have 10,000 employees on the Eastside by end of summer 2022.
While it is recognized that all of the growth in the area can also cause some challenges, according to Schottler, Amazon has worked hard to be proactive and invest in building an inclusive community with a focus on creating and preserving affordable housing, promoting sustainable mobility options, and engaging with local communities on the issues that matter to them.
Amazon most recently announced that they will be pausing construction on six of their office towers in Bellevue. The six towers total more than three million square feet of space. One tower’s construction is immediately halted, Bellevue 600’s second tower, while the other five’s exterior shell and core work will be completed, according to Puget Sound Business Journal.
The tech company plans to complete the exterior core and shell, as well as lobby floors, communal areas, and retail space on the following towers; Tower 1 at Bellevue 600, 555 Tower, towers 2 and 3 at West Main, and The Artise.
The decision to pause construction does not affect hiring, According to Amazon. They are still fulfilling their pledge to have over 25,000 employees in Bellevue. It us unknown how long this pause on completing construction will last.
