On Tuesday, July 11, the Trump Administration cancelled the plans for a new FBI headquarters. The three top contenders for the new campus were Greenbelt, Landover and Springfield, Va.
“It is really disappointing,” said Mayor Emmett Jordan. “It is a real waste of public and private resources. Everyone has committed a lot of time and resources in working with the General Services Administration (GSA.)”
The prospect of the FBI headquarters near the Greenbelt Metro Station has dominated local development discussions for years. However, the project has also stalled numerous times. As recently as March 16, 2017, council discussed having a yet to be defined “Plan B” for development if the project did not happen or the site was not chosen. Less than a week after that discussion, on March 23, the GSA put an indefinite hold on the building process.
Congressional representatives noted though that there is a difference between putting a hold on a project and cancelling it.
On Tuesday morning, Senators Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Representatives Steny Hoyer and Anthony Brown held a joint press conference and sent out a press release.
“The Hoover Building is crumbling around the FBI,” they said. “It is unfathomable that the Trump administration would fail to move forward on a secure headquarters for the FBI workforce.”
Read more of this story in the July 13 News Review