Federal officials pick Prince George’s County for new FBI headquarters
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — The new headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be built in Greenbelt, Md., various officials confirmed Wednesday night, edging out a competing site in Virginia.
The Washington Post first reported the decision late in the afternoon, with DC Now Now through multiple sources confirming the decision that was later announced by the General Services Administration which made the site selection.
Maryland and Virginia leaders battle over new FBI headquarters location
The decision for the FBI decision to come to Maryland is a significant one for first-year Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who relentlessly lobbied President Joe Biden before he was even sworn in this past January and led the Maryland delegation in March to make the pitch to GSA officials.
Given the aging, dilapidated headquarters in Washington, D.C., FBI officials were looking to move for more than a decade with Maryland and Virginia vying to compete for the new location.
But a change in criteria in the selection process made proximity to the FBI Academy in Quantico a top priority in 2022, angering Maryland officials and then-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan who complained that process was unfair to his state.
Lawmakers from Virginia pushed for a location in Springfield, which, it seemed for a time, is where the headquarters might be headed. The GSA has a sprawling facility there that a future FBI headquarters was thought to be placed.
Wes Moore presses President Biden for FBI headquarters in his state
Maryland officials touted two sites in Prince George’s County – locations in Landover and Greenbelt – that were ready to go and would provide the government with substantial taxpayer savings when it came to construction, compared to the Springfield, Virginia, site.
“GSA determined Greenbelt to be the best site because it was the lowest cost to taxpayers, provided the greatest transportation access to FBI employees and visitors, and gave the government the most certainty on project delivery schedule. It also provided the highest potential to advance sustainability and equity,” a GSA spokesperson said in a statement.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who was part of the delegation addressing the GSA, expressed her belief that a location in the county was the better choice because of cost as well equity, given Prince George’s diverse makeup.
GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement, “GSA looks forward to building the FBI a state-of-the-art headquarters campus in Greenbelt to advance their critical mission for years to come. Thank you to everyone at GSA, DOJ, FBI, Congress, and others who helped reach this important milestone after a comprehensive, multi-year effort.”
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