Metro East Sun

Edwardsville is preparing a proposal to entice Amazon to build its second headquarters in the city, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.

If it succeeds, it could lead to 50,000 new jobs in the area.

Edwardsville currently has two Amazon fulfillment centers, and city leadership says Edwardsville has proven itself a valuable asset to the brand.

Edwardsville Economic and Community Development Director Walt Williams | http://www.cityofedwardsvilleecondev.com/

“Those facilities are exceeding expectations,” Walt Williams, director of Edwardsville's Economic and Community Development, told the newspaper. “We have the workforce, the quality of life and when we read Amazon’s request for proposals, we think of Edwardsville.”

The request for proposal requires prospective sites to be within 30 miles of a population center and 45 minutes of an international airport, as well as being within one or two miles of a major highway and connected to mass transit. Edwardsville is approximately 15 minutes from St. Louis.

Williams told the News-Democrat that city leaders will soon be meeting with state and county officials to brainstorm on the Edwardsville proposal, which will include economic incentives for the online retailer. The package will include land price and utility and operating costs, and will essentially delineate how much it would cost for Amazon to make Edwardsville its new headquarters.