Columbus would need to double apartment construction if chosen as Amazon's HQ2.

If you think a lot of apartments are being built now in central Ohio, consider this: If Amazon picks Columbus for its second headquarters, the area will need more — a lot more.

A new study concludes that central Ohio would have to almost double the number of new apartments being built if it's chosen for Amazon's HQ2.

Among Amazon's 20 finalists, Columbus and Raleigh, North Carolina, would require the most new rental housing, according to the analysis by Zillow and its HotPads affiliate.

The Columbus area would need about 22 percent more rentals — 2,480 more apartments and homes — each year to keep rents from skyrocketing while accommodating Amazon's workers.

“Both Raleigh and Columbus have seen remarkable growth in recent years, but if selected, they’ll have to undergo the most dramatic building boom to accommodate Amazon HQ2 and keep rent inflation at current levels," HotPads economist Joshua Clark said.

About 11,000 rental homes and apartments are available each year in central Ohio, including newly built apartments, according to the study. If Amazon chooses Columbus, that number would need to rise to about 13,500, or 2,500 more each year, concluded Clark.

In the past five years, about 3,000 apartments have been built each year in central Ohio.

"We'd be close to doubling what we build if we had to accommodate that number of units," said Rob Vogt, the managing partner of the Columbus-based apartment consulting firm Vogt Strategic Insights.

"It would send the market into orbit."

Amazon has said a second headquarters could employ up to 50,000 workers. Clark estimated that those workers would be added over 7½ years.

Clark noted that while smaller Amazon competitors such as Columbus lack the necessary housing, they also have more affordable housing and more developable land than many larger cities on Amazon's list.

"Finding available land has been a recurring issue for both Amazon and housing developers in Seattle, so areas with more buildable space like Raleigh and Columbus may have an advantage when it comes to building for Amazon’s future," he said.

Amazon announced a year ago that Columbus is among 20 finalists for a second headquarters. Since then, the tech giant has remained mum on its plans, prompting speculation that Amazon will wait until after the election to announce a winner or pick several satellite cities instead of one major one.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker