Hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives were on the table to get Amazon to open its second world headquarters in Rochester and Buffalo. 

The Greater Rochester Enterprise and ITS Buffalo counterparts submitted a joint proposal to Amazon highlighting all of Western New York. Amazon passed on the deal, but what did they turn down? Up to $700 million in tax incentives, according to Invest Buffalo Niagara.

Included in the proposal were renderings of what a future downtown Rochester could look like after Amazon opened for business. Multiple sites in downtown were listed as possible hosts for the so-called HQ2. The proposal offered more than a million square feet of space to lease right away. Then there was a plan to ultimately give Amazon 10.5 million square feet by the end of a 15-year growth phase.

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Duffy says he supported the tax incentives, calling them, "pretty aggressive."

"And I'm proud of the teamwork," Duffy said. "I'm proud of the work that went in. When you look at the factors that put Rochester at the top, our affordability, our brain power, our colleges and universities, our workforce, our water, our amenities, there's so much here that you can come here. People complain about taxes. Well, while our taxes might be higher than some areas, our services will beat those areas, every time."

Duffy added he was not aware of what additional incentives New York State was offering Amazon.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the Erie County IDA never voted on the proposal but over the life of Amazon's 25 year investment the tax breaks would have been in line with other projects.  

Those who were part of the proposal say such an offer hasn't been made before and that's because of what was up for grabs.

"What's unprecedented is the magnitude of this project," said Alan Rosenhoch, Invest Buffalo Niagara Director. "There has literally never been a project of this size, with 50,000 jobs tied to it, so the incentives would have to go up in scale with the magnitude of the project and the level of competition."

Twenty cities remain in the running for the so called HQ2 including Toronto, Pittsburgh, New York City and Boston.