Amazon's Impact on Seattle Residents

Seattle residents recently weighed in on what it's meant to be home to Amazon's headquarters. Jon Scholes, president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, said that Amazon has "shown how a tech company can locate well in an urban setting." 

Zillow conducted the interviews ahead of the tech company's upcoming announcement on the location of its second headquarters. The South Lake Union neighborhood, home to Amazon’ headquarters campus, has shifted significantly -- "the most obvious on-the-ground gauge of the company’s growth," per Zillow. South Lake Union, formerly an industrial area, is now filled with commercial office space, condos, retail and dining spaces, and construction sites adding more to the area. 

Real estate tastes have changed, too, with more floorplans built for roommates and a contemporary aesthetic, Keller Williams Realty agent Vija Williams said. Parking spaces are now a luxury. “We sold a townhome… to an Amazon employee for almost $900,000, and there was no garage. Ride sharing is part of the new reality,” Williams said. People without cars living in dense neighborhoods want to have amenities close by, which has sparked a surge of beauty salons, retail boutiques, fitness centers and more.

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