Springfield on shortlist for new FBI headquarters

Springfield is on the shortlist for the new FBI headquarters along with two sites in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The list was released Tuesday by the General Services Administration.

The GSA Franconia Warehouse Complex in Fairfax County made the list with the Maryland sites where the former Landover Mall and a portion of the site known as the Greenbelt Metro Station are being considered.

“We are pleased that the GSA warehouse site in Springfield is on the short list for the FBI headquarters relocation,” Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said in a statement. “All the sites named today have advantages, but we believe the Springfield site best meets the criteria laid out for the FBI. Our main hope is that the FBI has a location that best allows the bureau and its employees to fulfill their important mission in the most productive and efficient manner possible.”

A news release by the GSA says that the agency will proceed by conducting National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews on the sites, which will allow opportunities for public comment. During this review, the GSA will “initiate the first of a two-phase Request For Proposal (RFP) seeking qualified developers. The second phase includes the solicitation of development proposals from qualified developers identified in the first phase.”

The FBI, whose current headquarters are located at the nearly 40-year-old J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, D.C., announced it was looking for a new home last year. Since then, many potential sites have been mentioned in the press, including the Springfield site which garnered support from Virginia politicians such as Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.