Biden administration picks Maryland for new FBI headquarters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has chosen a location for a new FBI headquarters in Maryland, selecting the site over one in Virginia following a sharp competition between the two states.

The General Services Administration confirmed the decision Wednesday. Consideration for a new headquarters has been going on for more than a decade, with the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Virginia and Maryland both competing for the project. The site is planned for Greenbelt, about 13 miles northeast of Washington.

Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland said the location in his state was ideal because of access to mass transit and because the cost to taxpayers would be significantly less there.  Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore argued in recent months that building it there would be fast, save taxpayers $1 billion and meet equity goals raised by President Joe Biden, with a location in the majority-Black Prince George’s County.

Virginia leaders, including Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, argued that along with the academy the state has also welcomed Amazon and other big companies in recent years.  In July, the GSA announced changes in criteria for choosing the new location, boosting two potential places in Maryland. The new criteria raised the weight given to cost and social equity concerns to 20% each and reduced proximity to the FBI Academy to 25%, down from 35%.

Plans to replace the FBI’s roughly five-decade-old J. Edgar Hoover Building, where nets surround the facility to protect pedestrians from falling debris, have been under discussion for 15 years. Momentum stalled at one point while Donald Trump was president, with discussion centering on rebuilding on the existing site in Washington.
Two other finalists were Springfield, Virginia, and Landover, Maryland.

About 7,500 jobs are connected to the facility.

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