One way to avoid rising deferred maintenance costs in a building is to relocate. That appears to be happening with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
It was announced on July 1 that the new home of the FBI will be the Ronald Reagan Building Complex in Washington, D.C.
A longtime occupant of the J. Edgar Hoover building, a short walk away from its future home, the FBI leaves behind a location that was facing a deferred maintenance bill of more than $300 million. By moving into the Reagan building, the federal government also avoids new construction costs as the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) continues to reduce its portfolio of buildings since the Trump Administration took office.
“FBI’s existing headquarters at the Hoover building is a perfect example of a government building that has accumulated years of deferred maintenance, suffering from an aging water system to concrete falling off the structure,” says Stephen Ehikian, acting GSA acting administrator.
The Reagan building measures 3 million square feet and is one of the bigger federal buildings under the GSA’s portfolio that includes 360 million square feet and $110 billion in products and services.
In 2023, FacilitiesNet reported that the Reagan was one of more than 100 GSA buildings that were scheduled for energy and sustainability upgrades. Plans were to fully electrify the building with the upgrades expected to be completed this spring.
The Reagan building is currently home to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, among other tenants. It was unclear from the press release whether (or where) those tenants will relocate.
The search for a new FBI building lasted nearly two decades, according to a press release. Previous efforts focused on suburban sites that would have been costly and challenging to build.
Dave Lubach is executive editor for the facilities market.
