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Amazon has halted construction indefinitely on its second headquarters in Northern Virginia, a major project for the Washington area that the online retail giant said would bring 25,000 jobs to Arlington.
John Schoettler, Amazon’s real estate chief, on Friday said the decision to delay the groundbreaking of the second phase of the enormous new campus in Arlington does not mean the company is pulling out. The first phase remains on schedule to open in June, he said.
“We’ve decided to shift the groundbreaking of PenPlace (the second phase of HQ2) out a bit,” Mr. Schoettler said in a company statement. “Our second headquarters has always been a multi-year project, and we remain committed to Arlington, Virginia, and the greater Capital Region.”
Amazon has hired more than 8,000 employees to work at the first phase, Metropolitan Park, starting in June, Mr. Schoettler said.
Amazon’s decision to pause construction comes two months after CEO Andy Jassy announced layoffs of 18,000 employees who were hired rapidly early in the pandemic, as part of a broader cost-saving initiative.
