Google planning to expand New York City offices: report

Google is planning to expand its New York City office buildings to add space that could accommodate more than 12,000 new workers, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. 

The move would bring the total number of Google jobs in the city to 20,000, according to the Journal.

The tech giant is getting close to leasing or buying a large office building in the city’s West Village neighborhood and expanding its existing space in Chelsea Market. The planned West Village office, a 1.3-million-square-foot building, would accommodate 8,500 workers while the planned Chelsea Market expansion of 300,000 square feet, along with its plans for 250,000 square feet of office space at Pier 57, would be able to accommodate 3,500 workers, the Journal reported.

{mosads}Google currently employs more than 7,000 workers in the city. It opened its first New York office building there in 2000.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the West Village building but said the company is planning to expand a location in Chelsea Market to include a public garden, community space and water taxi landing. 

The plans come as Amazon considers splitting part of its massive North American headquarters expansion between New York City and Crystal City, Va.

Amazon last year launched a high-profile search for the location that would host its next North American headquarters, asking city governments to submit proposals as it weighed options across the continent. Amazon, in January, announced a list of 20 finalists, which included Northern Virginia and New York City.

The planned expansion of Google’s New York City presence and the possibility of the city landing one of Amazon’s headquarters could provide a boost to the area’s tech industry, which its political leaders have long hoped to expand. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this week said he hoped for Amazon to come to the city, quipping that he would name himself “Amazon Cuomo.” 

Amazon is expected to announce its final decision soon.