NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Amazon officials are testifying in front of a city council committee on Wednesday in an effort to tamp down the controversy over plans to build a headquarters in Long Island City.
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The New York Times says the company has come up with new initiatives including a plan to hire public housing residents to work at its customer service center.
It would also set up a certificate program at LaGuardia Community College to train students for entry level tech jobs and would fund computer science programs at more than a hundred city schools.
Amazon has been taking heat for the tax breaks it's receiving to locate in Queens.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has accused the company of not doing enough to win public support.
"I think Amazon hasn't done a good enough job of communicating the affirmative benefits of the project," Cuomo said. "You can have a small handful of opponents, but they wind up stopping a project because the proponents are less motivated."
The governor said the deal will give the state 'one of the highest returns on investment' it's ever gotten for economic development.
Critics are concerned that the company was lured to New York with an over-the-top incentive package, and worry about the impact of rapid gentrification and stress on the mass transit system.
