Stonecrest offers to name city after Amazon

STONECREST, Ga. - A DeKalb County city has a unique idea they hope will convince Amazon to locate their second North American headquarters there.

The city of Stonecrest has submitted a proposal to the internet giant in which they would gift the company a more than 300-acre parcel of land and then petition state lawmakers to annex the land into its own city, Amazon, Georgia.

"So what Amazon asked each city to do is to do something unique, do something special, work out of the box and we said, 'Well, what's the best thing that we can do brand-wise with regards to a 21st-century company this size? How about we give them their own city?'" Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary explained.

Currently, the land for the proposed site is privately owned, but Lary said the owner has already agreed to sell the property to the city for the project.

City leaders said Stonecrest also has other selling points they believe will prove attractive to Amazon, including close proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the addition of more MARTA lines in the future.

"With our walking trails, our great neighborhoods, our malls, our sports complex, we are the perfect place for Amazon to come and land," said Mayor Lary.

Stonecrest would not disclose the estimated cost for the city, should Amazon choose to relocate there, but they believe the investment will be well worth the returns. The company plans to offer as many as 50,000 jobs at Amazon HQ2 and invest at least $5 billion in construction costs.

"We have an opportunity to create a city inside of a city so that we can create commerce for the next 100 years," said Lary. "That's how we see it."