WKYC he has obtained documents detailing portions of Cleveland's failed bid for Amazon's second headquarters, in particular the location that was pitched.
The information comes from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, a public transportation planning group that supplied the city with a wide variety of data to support its bid.
According to the documents, which claimed "Cleveland would lead the second revolution," the location for the new HQ would have been centered in Terminal Tower and Post Office Plaza, "provid[ing] unmatched access to public transportation." Hopkins and Burke Lakefront Airports were also stressed as having direct flights to Amazon's main HQ in Seattle.
The city also pledged to "accelerate" its increase in RTA rail lines and stations, specifically tripling the amount of track to 111 miles by 2029. A 25 percent discount on RTA passes for Amazon employees was also proposed.
Amazon documents from NOACA by WKYC.com on Scribd
Cleveland.com's Mark Naymik was the first to obtain the documents Thursday following a legal battle with NOACA that dated back to November. WKYC received a lengthy statement from the agency shortly after the documents' release, which said in part:
NOACA believes the ruling of the Special Master does not fully understand the position of the Agency as they relate to competitive elements of the bid proposal, however NOACA leadership believes it is in the best interest of the community to not pursue the matter on appeal with the Court.
HQ2 statement from NOACA by WKYC.com on Scribd
NOACA also contends the bid still has future value, despite it not being accepted by Amazon.Cleveland was eliminated as a potential host for the HQ2 last January.
While the NOACA documents help paint a picture of what the city was offering, they do not tell the full story: We have still not seen exactly what was offered by Mayor Frank Jackson or County Executive Armond Budish.
WKYC spoke with Mark Naymik about the documents on Thursday's Donovan Live
