GSA Picks Site for new FBI Complex in VA

The General Services Administration (GSA) Mid-Atlantic Region announced that it has selected and purchased approximately 60 acres of land for the site of the FBI's Central Records Complex (CRC) in Winchester/Frederick County, Virginia. The federal agency paid $4.75 million for a site in Frederick County, Virginia off U.S. 50 where it plans to build a $109 million facility where more than 440 employees would work, according to a Virginia Business report. The purchase and development plan is part of the agency's strategy to condense the bureau's vast records repositories into one site.

"The centralization of FBI records consolidates records from 265 current locations into a single facility," said Joanna Rosato, Regional Commissioner of GSA's Public Buildings Service in the Mid-Atlantic Region, in a press release. "The CRC will provide the infrastructure and technology for the FBI to continue to digitize records on demand."

The site at 2117 Millwood Pike, known as Arcadia, will support construction of approximately 256,000 Gross Square Feet facility, including a secure perimeter, visitor screening center and truck screening facility, guard booth, and surface parking lot. The new facility will be National Archives and Records Administration-compliant secured, with environmentally conditioned, fire-protected space that will provide records storage combined with material handling and operational support areas. The FBI said it digitizes at least 20 million pages per year to make them searchable and CRC will house both infrastructure and technology for the bureau to carry out the digitization effort.

For more news and information visit Blumberg Partners.

GSA Proposed Budget Seeks $1.5B for Real Estate Investments

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) released its 2017 Annual Budget Request, which includes $1.5 billion in investments to federal infrastructure and modernizing the federal government's most at-risk legacy IT systems. The GSA announced last month that the budget request would include $1.4 billion in Department of Justice and GSA funding for the FBI headquarters, but the newly released budget reveals more specific real estate investment plans. GSA's request includes:

— $759 million to support consolidation of FBI Headquarters function into a single, secure campus supporting the FBI's national security and law enforcement mission
— $267 million to deliver a new headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
— $248 million to support the second and final phase of the Calexico West Land Port of Entry modernization and improvement project
— $81 million for the renovation of the 985 Michigan Avenue Federal Office Building (aka Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building) in Detroit, MI

"The President's budget includes investments necessary to further strengthen our nation's real estate portfolio while promoting development in communities across the country," said GSA Administrator Roth. "GSA will also be able to more effectively bring federal IT systems into the 21st century. Once enacted, GSA will be positioned to better provide the services and solutions that allow the government to more effectively tackle our shared challenges."

To read the full Congressional Justification for the 2017 Annual Budget Request, click here. For more news and information visit Blumberg Partners.

Renard and Related Unveil Plans for FBI HQ

Renard Development Company and Related Cos. have revealed their plans for a site at the Greenbelt Metro in an effort to secure the FBI, which announced that it is considering moving its headquarters from the District to either Greenbelt, Landover, or Springfield. Greenbelt Station was recently shortlisted by the General Services Administration for the FBI headquarters solicitation, according to a GlobeSt.com report, and the partnership is hoping to set itself apart from its rivals in Landover and Springfield by releasing its plans prior to selection.

The 78-acre site near Interstates 95 and 495 and exit 24 in Greenbelt, Maryland would include a secured campus for the FBI as well as a 300-room hotel and conference center and additional office, residential and retail uses. Renard's design would pair a secure headquarters complex of five buildings with a mixed-use development of five additional buildings accessible to the public, all served by the Greenbelt Metro station, according to a Washington Business Journal article. The FBI employees would have their own parking garage, complete with solar panels on the roof, while current metro parking and Kiss and Ride facilities would be replaced with a parking complex next to the Metro entrance.

For more news and information visit Blumberg Capital Partners.

Regions Bank Office Building in Jonesboro Sold

Haag Brown Commercial Real Estate and Development, a Jonesboro, Arkansas-based commercial real estate brokerage, announced that it has purchased one of the biggest buildings in Jonesboro. Haag Brown Commercial Real Estate & Development of Jonesboro and Colliers International in Little Rock are part of an ownership group that purchased the property for $3.4 million from an entity owned by Jonesboro developer Bruce Burrow and his business partner, Marty Belz of Memphis, according to an Arkansas Business article. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Our partnership and ongoing relationship with Colliers International in Little Rock led to our direct involvement in the purchase and re-branding of this building. We have big plans for this multi-story development and are looking forward to watching our vision become reality," said Joshua Brown of Haag Brown. We have always had a good relationship with Kevin Huchingson and Isaac Smith from Colliers. Their firm manages over 14,000,000 SF of commercial real estate. Our immediate plans are to start the largest, most efficient, and innovative commercial property management company in the Northeast Arkansas Trade area."

The building at 2400 Highland Drive, once known as MBC Plaza that now serves as the Regions Bank building, includes roughly 52,000 square-feet of office space. The five-story building will be renamed the 2400 Building, according to a news release from Haag Brown. Haag Brown will lease the property and Colliers will manage it. Current tenants include Region's Bank, the FBI, Congressman Rick Crawford and Raymond James.

For more news and information visit Blumberg Capital Partners.