The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has been located in its Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters since 1975, will be getting a new “consolidated” HQ out in the ‘burbs.
The General Services Administration, along with the FBI, narrowed the options down to three sites that will now undergo environmental review:
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, Maryland.
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, Maryland.
Springfield – The site known as the GSA Franconia Warehouse Complex located near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Franconia Road in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Developers will also sought during the review process.
Lawmakers in Maryland and Virginia already have begun duking it out.
“We applaud the inclusion of Greenbelt and Landover on the short-list of candidates for the new FBI headquarters because there is no better fit for the FBI than Prince George’s County,” said the Maryland delegation led by Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D) and Ben Cardin (D) along with Reps. Steny Hoyer (D) and Donna Edwards (D) in a joint statement. “Every day, the men and women of the FBI fight to keep 300 million Americans safe from crime, organized crime, cyberattacks and terrorism. But they are operating out of a headquarters that is in disrepair. They need a new, modern headquarters to suit the FBI’s modern mission.”
“The criteria for a new FBI headquarters are simple. First, it must fully consolidate staff in one campus. Second, it must meet all of the FBI’s security and functionality requirements. Third, it must be a good deal for taxpayers,” they continued. “Prince George’s County meets all of these criteria and exceeds them by offering close proximity to Washington, easy access to mass transit, world-class research and education institutions, cyber security and defense facilities, and other assets valuable to the FBI’s ongoing missions. This project would bring thousands of jobs to the County, boost our local economy and generate additional revenues for our community. As the GSA continues to move forward with the process of selecting a site, we will be working closely together to advocate for bringing this project, and the new economic opportunities that will accompany it, to Prince George’s County.”
Virginia Sens. Mark Warner (D) and Tim Kaine (D) along with Reps. Rob Wittman (R), Jim Moran (D), Frank Wolf (R) and Gerry Connolly (D) said in their own statement that the Springfield site “is a cost effective selection that’s accessible by many different transportation options, and Northern Virginia is home to a majority of FBI personnel, the FBI’s major training facility at Quantico, and many key defense and intelligence agencies.”
“This is not about what is best for Virginia or best for Maryland,” said the Virginia crew. “It should be about what is best for the FBI and its mission. We believe that the Springfield site best offers the FBI what it needs.”
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