Long Island City in Queens, N.Y., may seem ideal for Amazon. Directly across the East River from Manhattan, it offers stunning views, easy access to transportation, and shiny new residential towers already rising by the water. But there is a growing risk to it: The proposed 4 million to 8 million square-foot complex would be located in a flood plain. New research from Climate Central and Zillow shows the area could see significant coastal flooding by 2020. By 2050, extreme projections of sea level rise have low-lying buildings under water. "One of the reasons Amazon got so big was long-term thinking, but building in the lowest spot in Queens is not long-term thinking," said Benjamin Strauss, CEO and chief scientist at Climate Central. "This is clearly building square in the danger zone for frequent flooding."

General view of Gantry Plaza State Park, in Long Island City, New York, where Amazon.com selected to build part of its new second headquarters. Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

Amazon can build sea walls and barriers and take other steps to make its new headquarters resilient, like developers are doing at nearby Brooklyn Navy Yards' new Dock 72, that literally hangs over the water. It is a collaboration by Boston Properties and Rudin Management. "We have a very strong plan in terms of sustainability and dealing with storms," said William Rudin, CEO of Rudin Management. "Our lobby is 8 feet above the water level. All the mechanicals are on the second and third floor. We are very focused on resiliency." The same is true at the massive Hudson Yards development on Manhattan's West Side, also built right by a river but over train yards, so it is elevated. Amazon could raise the ground under its new offices and raise all the building systems. "Whenever you do things that are different that haven't been done, you're going to have greater cost," said Stephen Ross, Chairman of the Related Companies, which is developing Hudson Yards. "So we're able to offer, really, a resilient community, embracing all the latest in technology, in every aspect of it." Superstorm Sandy caused massive flooding in Long Island City, and the area now experiences floods almost any time there is a heavy downpour.

Long Island City, New York, where Amazon will place one of their new headquarter locations, as seen through the Queensboro Bridge on November 13, 2018. Yana Paskova | The Washington Post | Getty Images