WASHINGTON — Federal government leaders with the General Services Administration have chosen Greenbelt, Maryland to host the new FBI headquarters facility, the GSA confirmed Wednesday.
"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 spokesperson said Wednesday.
Three sites have been under consideration by a three-person panel for more than a year: Springfield, Virginia near the Beltway interchange with I-95 and I-395, Landover, Maryland on the site of the old Landover Mall and Greenbelt, Maryland right next to the metro station.
Two GSA employees and one FBI employee comprised the site selection panel which made the decision based on weighing pre-determined metrics including cost and transportation access.
“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," GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said Wednesday. "Thank you to everyone at GSA, DOJ, FBI, Congress, and others who helped reach this important milestone after a comprehensive, multi-year effort."
The new facility will eventually move more than 7,000 FBI employees out of the FBI's current headquarters in Washington.
For more than a decade, government leaders have sought to move the FBI's workforce out of the crumbling J Edgar Hoover building in downtown D.C. and into a new, state-of-the-art facility in the DMV's suburbs.
Political leaders on both sides of the Potomac River have engaged in an arduous tug-of-war to try and land the project, estimated to cost more than $2 billion. Back in March, elected officials from both Maryland and Virginia made their final pitches to the GSA, the agency that will ultimately make the decision.
Speaking about the perks of landing the new headquarters, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the project has the potential to make a "generational impact" during a WUSA9 town hall on Aug 1.
“If you look at economic competitiveness of the top 150 jurisdictions in the country, Fairfax County, Virginia is number two. Prince George’s County, Maryland is 107," said Moore.
"Prince George’s County, Maryland is a majority African-American jurisdiction. [Prince George's] has done remarkably well considering the fact that often times it has been completely neglected when it comes to federal assets.”
Federal officials say the new FBI headquarters will be the largest project that GSA has ever undertaken. It will join the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) facility in Langley as the largest government building construction projects. Expansion and renovation of CIA was completed in 1991 and the Pentagon was completed in 1943.
Based on feedback it received during meetings with Maryland and Virginia leaders in March, the GSA site selection panel slightly altered the criteria weighting in July, putting less emphasis on the importance of the new headquarters to the FBI's training facility in Quantico, Virginia and more importance on advancing equity and cost considerations.
Moore estimates the project will provide more than $4 billion in economic activity and lead to the hiring of more than 2,000 people. He was among those pushing the hardest for Maryland to win the project.
“The future mission of the FBI, as the FBI Director has laid out, is things like cyber. Well, Maryland is the home of US Cyber Command. Maryland is the home of Fort Meade. Maryland is home of NSA (National Security Agency). Maryland is home to University of Maryland, College Park and Johns Hopkins University two of the top institutions in the country focused on cyber.”
$375 million was already approved by Congress in December for planning and construction.
Maryland reacts
Maryland leaders released a joint statement on Wednesday. The joint statement represents Gov. Wes Moore, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Reps. Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey, and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
“This is a historic moment for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and our nation. For decades, the dilapidated J. Edgar Hoover Building has failed to meet the FBI’s operational needs, which has undermined our national security. The once fabled building has crumbled before our eyes, with nets surrounding the facility for years to protect pedestrians from falling debris. Today’s decision by the General Services Administration (GSA) will ensure we fulfill the FBI’s dire, longstanding need for a new consolidated headquarters that meets the modern-day demands on the Bureau’s work to protect Americans and our nation.
“After a thorough deliberation process and consideration of stakeholder input, the GSA selected the Greenbelt site as the location for the new FBI headquarters. The GSA’s analysis of the facts and its consultations revealed that the Greenbelt site is the most fitting site of the three final candidates when all factors were considered together.
“We agree with the GSA’s determination that based on merit the Greenbelt site is best suited to serve the present and future FBI and the dedicated public servants who work tirelessly to protect America and uphold the law. Considering cost to the taxpayer, equity, construction timeline, transportation access, and the FBI’s mission requirements, we have long believed that Greenbelt is the best site for this crucial facility. We are pleased that the GSA arrived at the same conclusion. Our decades-long, bipartisan effort to bring the Maryland sites’ many merits to the GSA’s attention was never about politics. It was always about making the case for what is best for the FBI, our region, and the country.
“Team Maryland has worked tirelessly to deliver this result together. Our close cooperation will continue as we break ground on this new headquarters and tackle other pressing issues facing Marylanders. We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure the FBI has the best possible headquarters in the quickest timeframe so that we can facilitate a smooth transition to Prince George’s County. We look forward to building a strong, productive partnership with the Bureau and its staff.”
Virginia reacts
While Maryland leaders are happy happy about Wednesday's news, Virginia leaders aren't.
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released a joint statement Wednesday.
“We’re deeply disappointed that despite the clear case that Virginia is the best home for the FBI, the Administration went a different direction," the senators said. "It’s especially disappointing that the FBI’s initial criteria for this decision—developed independently by the GSA and affirmed by Congress just last year—were changed at the 11th hour by the Administration following political pressure. We spent years appropriately criticizing the last Administration for politicizing the new FBI headquarters—only for a new Administration to come in and allow politics to taint the selection process. We know from our experience recruiting Hilton, Capital One, Northrop Grumman, Amazon, and many other companies to Virginia that our Commonwealth is the best state for business, and we’ll continue to focus on promoting economic growth and supporting law enforcement in the Commonwealth.”
Rep. Gerald Connolly was also not happy to hear the news.
"Lacking even the basic courtesy of a heads up, GSA has reportedly decided on a Maryland site for the new FBI headquarters," Connolly said Wednesday. In making this decision, GSA has shamelessly caved to political pressure, putting blatant politics over the merits and amending the weighting of long-established criteria to make this decision all but predictable. While Virginia’s loss is also the FBI’s, GSA’s reputation for objective procurement free from politics has taken a mortal hit today from which it will struggle to recover for years into the future."
WATCH NEXT: WUSA9 Town Hall with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore