Work on a 2.8-million-square-foot part of the project in Arlington, Va., involving three 22-storey-tall towers has stopped, the tech giant’s head of real estate John Schoettler told Bloomberg. A 2.1-million-square-foot first phase of the development across the street for more than 8,000 employees will be completed as planned in June. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: The decision comes after Amazon announced it will lay off about 18,000 workers and as it reassesses real estate projects to account for remote work. Schoettler said the company is still committed to Arlington, where it planned to hire 25,000 workers and invest US$2.5 billion by 2030. The delay could cause problems for developers and nearby businesses counting on Amazon’s expansion. There is a recent and growing debate over the productivity of remote work, with managers more likely than employees to favour a return to the office. In 2017, Amazon announced plans for its second headquarters, attracting a number of cities to bid for the development—including 11 Canadian cities.