Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said the city's proposal to land Amazon's second headquarters is "just about ready," and that she has enlisted investment bank Goldman Sachs to help.
Speaking at her weekly press conference Wednesday, Pugh said she spoke to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein a few weeks ago, who pledged to assist Baltimore in landing the $5.5 billion project. Goldman Sachs recently announced a $233 million investment in Sagamore Development's 235-acre Port Covington project, which has become the centerpiece of Baltimore's proposal to Amazon.
The mayor did not offer specifics on how Goldman Sachs could help boost the plan, but said she believed the investment showed that Port Covington would be a viable landing spot for Amazon's HQ2 and its expected 50,000 high-paying jobs.
Sagamore Development, the real estate arm of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, has said it believes the South Baltimore project would be a "perfect" home for HQ2. Gov. Larry Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot have also both thrown their support behind the Port Covington proposal, promising to boost the project with state tax incentives.
"Everybody is hopeful for Baltimore," Pugh said Wednesday. "Many people from our surrounding jurisdictions have offered letters of support."
Mayor Pugh used her press conference as a chance to make a short pitch to Amazon.
"If [Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos] is listening ... you can't find a better place than Baltimore," she said. "You don't have to go through zoning, you've already got the space."
