Amazon has held advanced discussions about placing its second headquarters in Crystal City, The Washington Post reports.
The Post says talks involved which buildings Amazon could immediately occupy, and the company is mulling how quickly it could move employees and how to publicly announce, sources close to the process told the publication.
Amazon has said its second headquarters would employ 50,000 people and comprise a $5 billion investment.
Crystal City is served by a mass transit system, the Metro and several major highways, both qualifications Amazon is requiring for its new headquarters. The area's biggest developer, JBG Smith, has pulled some of its buildings off the leasing market to make way for Amazon, The Post reported, citing officials close to the process.
It's possible the e-commerce giant is in similar talks with other cities considered finalists.
In response to the Post, Amazon economic development director Mike Grella tweeted, "Memo to the genius leaking info about Crystal City, VA as #HQ2 selection. You're not doing Crystal City, VA any favors."
On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company's list of potential finalists included Dallas and New York City.
As far as the chief decision-maker, CEO Jeff Bezos said last week that the decision is ultimately one you make "with your heart."
"Ultimately the decision will be made with intuition after gathering and studying a lot of data," he said. "The best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data, but then you make that decision with your heart."
