If not for the tumultuous presidency of Donald Trump, chances are a new FBI headquarters would be under construction in Prince George’s County right now. Despite being at the 11th hour (maybe closer to 11:45pm) of a GSA process that was years in the making, former President Trump nixed the plan, keeping the FBI in the crumbling Hoover Building in downtown DC. Many of the former president’s critics took notice that he inserted himself into a real estate deal that was across the street from to his Trump Hotel. The critics claimed that Trump’s real motivation behind killing the new FBI HQ had more to do with keeping out the new commercial and hotel redevelopment that was slated for the Hoover Building site (and therefore competition to his own hotel). No one knows for sure but if that is truly the reason, but would anyone be surprised if that was the case? We wouldn’t.
The process that would likely have resulted in a county-based FBI site began several years ago when the federal government released a solicitation to build a new HQ. At the same time, the feds, through GSA, the federal government’s real estate broker, reviewed possible locations for a new building and through that process landed on three possible sites; Springfield, VA, the old Landover mall site and the area around the Greenbelt metro station.
A couple of quick thoughts about each site:
- Springfield- There was notably some angst in Virginia that this was the only possible site in the state and it wasn’t a great site at that. By some accounts, the home of an underground CIA training site (have fun dealing with them) the site was challenging to develop and might, just might, be a sign that the powers that be recognized that Virginia has long gotten more than their far share of government largess and as the home of the Pentagon (more on that soon), this site might have just been picked to give some semblance of competition and show that Virginia was technical in the running even though it really wasn’t.
- Landover- It is big and that is good for a site that needs to be secure like the FBI, though perhaps too big, lest we are left with effectively a fortress with a moat and tall fence around it. Good for security, not as good for creating a community or new development in the vicinity that would feed the new HQ (think restaurants) and grow the local economy. The site was made all the worse by poor connections to transit which will undeniably lead to even more employees driving to work and increasing the sense of isolation relative to the local area.
- Greenbelt- This site presented arguably the greatest opportunity to create a mixed-use project fed by transit. In addition, it has the nation’s best criminal justice program one metro stop away at College Park and a US district courthouse conveniently located literally right around the corner. It isn’t surprising that county officials are publicly agnostic on the two sites but also subtly tip their hats to Greenbelt.
So where do things stand now?
Last year, prompted by Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Steny Hoyer (two true champions of the FBI coming to Prince George’s), added language to legislation that required the federal government to restart the FBI HQ search for a new home and to start that process with the above three sites as the contenders. Recently the GSA announced that they will in fact restart the process with the three sites previously under examination which is a big win for Prince George’s County. In addition, Van Hollen & Hoyer announced that they are going to push to include $500 million in the next budget as a “down payment” of sorts for a new building.
Why does all this matter? In the 1950s a decision was made on where to site a new HQ for the US Military. A fived sided building was proposed, the Pentagon was born, and the northern Virginia economy has benefitted ever since. Having the FBI, it’s approximately 10,000 employees, and its countless private sector contractors located here, has the potential for the same sort of impact for Prince George’s County. Simply put, it would be a game changer. The benefit to the county can not be understated but neither can the impact to the region.
Land planners, smart growth think tanks, academia, and most regional leaders, have long pointed out that the lack of a GSA office presence in Prince George’s County, and the good paying jobs that come with it, hurts the region and creates unnecessary traffic caused by Prince Georgian’s travelling to their jobs in Montgomery County and Northern VA every morning and afternoon.
Prince George’s County needs to be the home of the next FBI HQ. Everyone in the county, whether elected officials, business leaders, or civic leaders, need to work together and do everything in their power to make this a reality. It is long overdue.
