What's next for Suffolk Downs without Amazon?

BOSTON — The fate of HQ2 has been decided. Amazon announces its second headquarters will be split between New York City and Arlington, Virginia.

While Boston was on the short list, the e-commerce giant did not choose the site of former Suffolk Downs race track for its new home.

So what happens now?

The developer of the land tells Boston 25 News they're still going to put mixed-use retail and housing on the site and continue their search for a tenant.

"I think Amazon might have missed an opportunity here in Boston because we have the talent in our city and the growth in our city that could work with them," said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

Amazon's site would have gone into a mixed-use project on the Suffolk Downs site in development by HYM Investment Group.

"It would’ve been like the Patriots had won another Super Bowl. It would’ve been a nice thing to have, but not something that Boston was in desperate need for," said Katherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal.

Carlock says neither was HYM Investment Group. There is already expedited permits on the books to the site that touched Revere and East Boston.

"Up to 8 million square feet of commercial space. Up to 10,000 units of housing. It’s still gonna be a big mixed-use project regardless if Amazon comes," said Carlock.

Tom O'Brien of HYM says the plan remains.

"We’ve long since had that vision and we’ll continue to execute that vision with or without Amazon," he said. "In the last 20 months, we’ve done over 350 different meetings. Community meetings and stakeholder meetings. In that community and people know us very very well and they know what to expect. It’s going to be a place to have a meal, a great place to live and a great place to work."

Boston was also outbid; the winning cities offered a combined package of over $2 billion. Mayor Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker had said they were not going to throw big money at the tech company to come here.

Cox Media Group