By Brian Trompeter
Virginia’s top leaders – from the governor and members of Congress to county supervisors – formed a united front Feb. 15 to urge the General Services Administration (GSA) to pick a federally owned site in Springfield for the FBI’s new headquarters.
“Virginia is a slam-dunk winner in this competition,” said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), adding, “The process should be fair, have appropriate criteria and no further political interference.”
The group briefed the media on a chilly morning in the parking lot of Northern Virginia Community College’s Medical Education Campus in Springfield, located not far from the potential FBI site.
Maryland leaders are pressing to have the new headquarters located either in Greenbelt or Landover, Md., in part to provide economic activity and jobs for African-American residents.
Maryland leaders have “disparaged us and cooked up figures” during the competitive struggle, said U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-11th).
“The decision we make is for the next 50 years,” Connolly said.
The agency since September 1975 has been based out of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C. That facility, built before the advent of the Internet and DNA forensics, is woefully inadequate and has begun falling in on itself, Virginia leaders said.
The process to obtain a new headquarters has been going on nearly 15 years, which is slow even for the federal government, Warner said. Efforts got slowed down during the Trump presidency, a situation likely not helped by FBI investigations into his administration.
Speakers expounded upon points made in a Feb. 3 joint letter to GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The Springfield site meets all five selection criteria, including:
• The FBI’s mission requirement: The 58-acre Springfield property is located only 27 miles from Quantico, Va., where the FBI has its National Academy and National Crime Lab. Both Maryland sites are about twice that far away, while all three potential headquarters locations are nearly equidistant from the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Springfield site also is within easy reach of other FBI assets in Northern Virginia, such as the Terrorist Screening Center in Vienna, as well as headquarters for the CIA and Transportation Security Administration.
“We know how to accommodate federal agencies,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D), adding “the case for Springfield is clear.”
• Transportation access: The Springfield location is within a five-minute walk of the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station, which also provides access to Virginia Railway Express trains and Fairfax Connector buses.
Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports also are located not far away, as is Fort Belvoir Davison Army Airfield.
Interstates 95, 395 and 495 are nearby as well. Virginia has invested $15 billion in transportation infrastructure in the region and has built 90 miles of Express Lanes to give motorists additional options, leaders said.
“Springfield is at the heart of a multi-modal transportation network,” said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
• Site flexibility: The Springfield site is the only one of the three contenders that’s owned by the federal government and is zoned industrially, “which allows for maximum workability for current and future growth opportunities including office and scientific research, development, and training use,” the letter read.
• Cost: Because GSA owns the Springfield site, choosing it for the FBI’s new headquarters would cost far less and speed up construction, Virginia leaders said.
“We can get shovels in the ground faster and save taxpayers money,” Youngkin said.
• Promoting sustainable siting and advancing equity: It wouldn’t be a conversation about government recently unless the term “equity” abounded. The FBI and GSA in September 2022 added advancing equity in under-served communities to the headquarters-selection criteria.
Virginia leaders said Springfield and surrounding areas such as Alexandria, Annandale, Dumfries, Dale City and Hybla Valley have highly diverse populations, as well as many lower-income families.
Those communities “contribute to the vibrancy and backbone of the region, but also face unique challenges and vulnerabilities that oftentimes go overlooked when the Northern Virginia region is spoken of as one homogeneous bloc,” their letter read.
“The single most efficient way to lift people out of poverty is by investing in them and their community,” said Supervisor Rodney Lusk (D-Franconia), whose district is home to the GSA site.
Virginia also is committed to providing clean energy, reducing carbon emissions and constructing energy-efficient buildings, the leaders’ letter read.
Northern Virginia is a hub of technological innovation and is favored by many businesses for its qualified workforce and excellent education system, from public schools to community colleges and universities, said U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
Two GSA representatives and one from the FBI will make the final headquarters decision.
“We trust the GSA and FBI to make the right decision,” Kaine said.
