Amazon hopes to have 15,000 jobs in Bellevue in ‘next few years’
Feb 6, 2020, 9:02 AM | Updated: 10:47 am
Amazon confirmed its plans to create thousands of new jobs in Bellevue in a recent post to the company’s “Day One” blog.
Facebook joins Amazon in Bellevue as Eastside boom continues
The tech giant hopes to add over 15,000 “well-paid jobs” to the Eastside “over the next few years,” citing Bellevue’s “successful growth over the last several years.”
“We’re thrilled Amazon will continue to grow here,” said Bellevue Downtown Association President Patrick Bannon in Amazon’s blog post. “It’s an extraordinary investment in our future and a strong vote of confidence in our talent base, city leadership, and decades of visionary planning for growth. We look forward to working with Amazon, alongside all BDA members and our community, as we welcome people in these new jobs and shape our downtown experience.”
The company plans to have its new buildings sit half a mile or less away from downtown Bellevue’s light rail station (arriving in 2023), and all within 10 minutes walking distance of each other.
Meanwhile, Amazon still plans to construct Bellevue’s largest office tower yet. The 43-story building will be dubbed “Bellevue 600,” located on the east half of the Bellevue Corporate Plaza. Amazon purchased the property in April 2019 for $650 million.
Amazon planning to build tallest tower yet in Bellevue
Amazon has roughly seven spaces in Bellevue it either plans to move into, or is already occupying. In addition to Bellevue 600, that includes a lease on the 15-story Binary Towers, Bellevue Corporate Plaza, WeWork space at Summit II, permits for Summit III, the former Expedia headquarters at Tower 333, and current employees at Centre 425.
Employees from Amazon’s worldwide operations team began moving to the Eastside last April. The company already has roughly 2,000 employees in Expedia’s former Bellevue corporate headquarters, and still has plans to move another 4,500 workers into that building by the end of 2020.
Joining Amazon in Bellevue in the next few years will be Facebook, which is currently in the process of making room for thousands of Bellevue employees of its own.
