GSA Delays Decision on FBI Headquarters: Report

By DAN TAYLOR (Patch Staff)

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Authorities have delayed the decision on where to put a new headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation until March of next year, according to The Washington Post, which is reporting that the General Services Administration (GSA), which is handling the proposed move out of D.C. and into the suburbs, won't decide on the $2 billion project for months. Greenbelt and Landover in Prince George's County are two possible sites for the huge project, as well as Springfield in Fairfax County, Va.

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay said the delay isn't a bad thing for Northern Virginia.

"I've long said the Springfield site wins on its merits, so I strongly believe we're the favorite in this process regardless of the timeline," McKay said Monday. "That being said, the possibility of having a vice president from Virginia certainly doesn't hurt. Springfield has made the most sense for the relocated headquarters from Day 1 and I'm hopeful that we'll be awarded the FBI in March."

Originally, the GSA had anticipated making an announcement in December. The FBI headquarters is currently located in the J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Washington, D.C., where it is home to 5,000 employees. It has been there since 1975, and now the GSA believes a new facility is necessary for the future of the agency.

About half of FBI headquarters employees are housed in the Hoover building, in addition to multiple FBI divisions throughout the region. All of those would be consolidated into one location at the new headquarters.

The biggest change for the FBI came after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the agency -- like many others -- brought on a lot more employees. GSA first issued a request for information for a new site back in December 2012, and narrowed it down to three sites in July 2014. The new facility would span 2.1 million square feet and accommodate 11,055 employees. It would cost about $2.5 billion to build, according to the report.

Patch editor Mary Ann Barton contributed to this report.

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