Federal agency seeks new Alexandria location for housing relocated National Science Foundation operations

The General Services Administration (GSA) has initiated a search for a Class A office space in Alexandria, Virginia, to accommodate the National Science Foundation (NSF). The search comes as the Trump administration announced in June that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would take over NSF's current headquarters.

The GSA is seeking between 240,000 and 280,000 square feet of office space for a 48-month lease term, which is shorter than typical for federal agencies. The space must be contiguous within a single building or in a shared location with a complementary federal agency that can create a high-profile science and innovation hub.

The facility must meet stringent requirements, including ISC Level III security standards, government standards for fire safety, accessibility, seismic, and sustainability. It must also be delivered in turnkey condition, with specific requirements for furniture.

The space must not be located in a 1% annual chance floodplain and must be accessible within 2,640 walkable feet of a Metrorail station. The current notice is a market research phase, not a formal request for proposals.

Expressions of interest are due on September 4, and interested parties can contact Sean McNeal at [email protected] or Gregory Otten at [email protected] for more information.

As of September 4, 2023, no information is found in the search results about which companies or institutions have shown interest or submitted an inquiry for offering a Class A office building of at least 240,000 square feet in Alexandria's Eisenhower East Corridor meeting General Services Administration requirements.

The GSA's requirements also include access to flexible meeting and event spaces, shared services such as cafeterias, fitness rooms, bike storage, and childcare facilities. The space must meet government standards for these amenities.

NSF appears likely to backfill space vacated last year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in one of two LCOR Inc.-owned buildings on nearby Dulany Street. The GSA's search notice states that the search is to support the planned relocation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to NSF's present facility and the resulting need to provide NSF with suitable alternative space.

The search for office space is a significant step in the relocation process for both the NSF and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The GSA has defined a specific search area bounded by Duke Street, Interstate 495, South Patrick Street, and Telegraph Road. The space must be leased below the fiscal year 2025 prospectus threshold of $3.926 million.

Federal agency seeks new Alexandria location for housing relocated National Science Foundation operations