At the risk of sounding mean or insensitive, it’s nice to hear that, when it comes to commercial real estate disputes, Michigan is not the only state that has difficulties it needs to work out.
According to the United States government, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia join the ranks as they all begin discussing locations for the new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters.
Considered a “dump that detracts from the neighborhood,” by the District of Columbia’s representative in Congress, the current headquarters for the FBI is not only too small for its workforce but is turning into a safety hazard as well. Built in the 1970s, there is little doubt that the building has passed its prime, now sporting multiple nets on its exterior to catch falling stone from its upper stories.
Even people here in Michigan know that it’s about time the U.S. government invested in a new building to house the nearly 17,300 staff members currently spread across 40 sites; but according to the General Services Administration, who put out solicitations in December to developers, this will be no small project, pointing out that it will cost an estimated $1.2 billion and take approximately seven years to complete.
Nearly everyone in the government is in agreement that a new building needs to be built but the issue now is where. Several counties across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia have all thrown their names in the hat and commercial real estate developers have been making some rather hard-to-pass-up offers. It’s a difficult decision many government workers are hoping happens soon.
Source: Reuters News, “FBI triggers Washington mystery – where will its new HQ be?” Ian Simpson, Jan. 8, 2013
