The General Services Administration (GSA), an agency that supports the functioning of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other U.S. government agencies, announced Tuesday the three potential sites where the federal watchdog could move its new headquarters to.
The GSA has been looking for new sites since almost a year. On Tuesday, the agency revealed that the list has been narrowed down to two Maryland areas and one site in Virginia. Below are the exact locations for the new FBI headquarters (courtesy: GSA).
- Greenbelt - A portion of the site known as the Greenbelt Metro Station located near the intersection of Interstates 95/495 and Exit 24 (Greenbelt Station) in Prince George's County, Md.
- Landover - The site known as the former Landover Mall located near the intersection of Interstates 95/495 and MD 202 in Prince George's County, Md.
- Springfield - The site known as the GSA Franconia Warehouse Complex located near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Franconia Road in Fairfax County, Va.
The GSA also said that it will conduct a two-phase National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review on all the three sites. In the first phase, the GSA will look for potential qualified developers and in the second phase, it will solicit development proposals from the shortlisted builders.
The FBI has been planning to move from its long-time abode in Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, for quite a while now. The J. Edgar Hoover building, which has served as the headquarters for more than 40 years now, has become obsolete and cannot house the growing number of employees. Security has also become a problem since the 9/11 attacks.
In an early 2013 press meet with the GSA, the FBI stated that it requires a 2.1 million square feet office to hold around 11,000 employees.
The agency has outgrown the building. Only about half of its employees work in the Washington office, while the rest are camped up in the Clarksburg and Quantico offices. The agency has increased its staff by 25 percent since the 9/11 incident and now needs more space.
News of the FBI looking for a new home spurred a fierce competition among several states and Congressmen, who have been vying to host the federal watchdog.
The state of Maryland is overjoyed as two sites in the area have been shortlisted.
"Both Greenbelt Station and Landover Mall are outstanding options. Establishing the FBI headquarters at either site would provide phenomenal strategic advantages for the Bureau, catalyze sustainable development and bring more jobs and vitality to Prince George's County and Maryland," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was quoted by the Baltimore Sun.
Virginia is also pushing its case claiming that the Springfield site is in proximity to its FBI lab in Quantico.
"We're going to continue to make the case," Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told The Washington Post.
"On the facts, in terms of where the FBI employees would like to be, access to Metro, access to Quantico, we're a clear winner," he added.
"Virginia is united around this site. We have one site that we are working real hard toward. Maryland has several sites but Fairfax County and Virginia have this site that we are going to be working very hard to secure the FBI," Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, told the publication.
