Windsor is offering Amazon an incentive package of $106-million U.S. to land its headquarters.
Norma Coleman, a spokesperson in the mayor's office, says the offer is a mixture of property tax increment financing, grant funding, and corporate income tax credits similar to what other companies would get through the city's Community Improvement Plan.
The bid includes 5,000 employees being housed in 500,000 sq ft of office space. The proposal also says Amazon could qualify for Canadian corporate tax credits for research and development and innovation tax credits if it does that work in Ontario.
There are three proposed phases of office expansion by 2027 in Detroit and in Windsor, including new east riverfront developments on both sides of the river. Coleman says the 156,000 sq ft Paul Martin building in downtown Windsor that the government of Canada is transferring to the city early next year is on the table.
The proposal also says the two cities "have committed to operating a ferry that would provide door-to-door service between riverfront offices on both sides of the border." Amazon's RFP has a list of requirements centered on talent, mass transit, proximity to an international airport, office space, and quality-of-life measures.
The bid was submitted to Amazon by a regional committee on October 19.
