FBI HQ in PG!

[Anonymous]

This thread with all of the infantile bickering and chest thumping from MD and VA posters makes me think neither state deserves the new HQ. If the Director will still be based in DC near the White House, there is no reason with 2023 technology why the HQ can't be relocated elsewhere in country -- perhaps somewhere with people less shallow and vacuous than the folks in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread with all of the infantile bickering and chest thumping from MD and VA posters makes me think neither state deserves the new HQ. If the Director will still be based in DC near the White House, there is no reason with 2023 technology why the HQ can't be relocated elsewhere in country -- perhaps somewhere with people less shallow and vacuous than the folks in the DMV.

Thank you Solomon! So wise!

[Anonymous]

Proximity to Quantico is a pretty darn big deal - but not enough of a big deal to accept spending another billion dollars.

And to the list makers I think being so near to UMCP and the NSA are winning points. Local high schools are fine. Local real estate probably better in Springfield. But I don't think those went into the decision. I believe it was the cost, period. Wray wants more money than the GSA is willing to spend.

If congress takes it up be prepared for 10 more years of sh*t show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread with all of the infantile bickering and chest thumping from MD and VA posters makes me think neither state deserves the new HQ. If the Director will still be based in DC near the White House, there is no reason with 2023 technology why the HQ can't be relocated elsewhere in country -- perhaps somewhere with people less shallow and vacuous than the folks in the DMV.

The FBI needs space. Space that is not available in DC. The intent is to give the FBI HQ enough space to have a campus with the space to expand and created new buildings and facilities to meet current and future needs. They also need enough space to be able to create a perimeter for security reasons. GSA is targetting giving them a campus similar to CIA's Langley and NSA's Ft Meade. About the only space in the district where there is enough space for what they are trying to give the FBI is the National Arboretum. I don't believe that they had any plans to carve off a chunk of the Arboretum to house the FBI. So, they have to look out in the surburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Lets see.

1) The Greenbelt site is cheapest and most shovel ready

2) The Greenbelt site is inside the beltway

3) The Greenbelt site has its own metro station that is boutique and barely used. It will practically be the FBI's private metro stop.

4) Good access to Montgomery County and Howard County(the best publics in the DMV) schools.

5) Being in the Richest state in the United States.

6) Better Access to the best and by far the most Private schools than Springfield which needs to cross the river to access the MD/DC privates.

7) Better access to NSA, Annapolis, Bay and Beaches.

8) a better looking area than Springfield.

What does proximity to OC (Pittsburgh by the Sea) have to do with anything?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:People can name call and try and put down arguments they don’t agree with, but the fact of the matter is there are legitimate questions about how GSA handled itself during this process.

I’ll be interested to see what surfaces.

- MD resident

As an employee of the Public Buildings Service, this was a closely scrutinized process, there was no corrupt practices involved, our lawyers reviewed the decision thoroughly, and the Director of the FBI does not have authority to overrule or influence the decision. This will die down in 3 or so months when public attention focuses on something more interesting than federal procurement of buildings.

-VA resident

Okay, so why change the pick to the more problematic (wetlands) site from the better-located (proximity to Quantico etc.) site? It's inexplicable.

Cost and schedule. Remember the Greenbelt site was the original one selected. The reports people are posting are merely recommendations to inform decisions by political appointees. If you have a problem with it, elect a Republican.

But no, those were not the reasons given in the final decision.

You're just trying to make sense of something that makes no sense.

Yes, those are the reasons given.

https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/FBI%20HQ%20Site%20Selection%20Decision.pdf

Page 3
I. OVERVIEW For the reasons set forth below, in my role as the Site Selection Authority (“SSA”), I have selected the Greenbelt site as the most advantageous location for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Suburban Headquarters (“Suburban HQ”). This Site Selection Decision documents my analysis and judgment as the SSA and constitutes the U.S. General Services Administration’s (“GSA”) final determination.

Page 37
D. Site Selection Decision I have determined that Greenbelt is the most advantageous site for the Government for all of the detailed reasons set forth above. I summarize here the reasons that Greenbelt is the most advantageous site for the Government for the new Suburban HQ:
● Greenbelt is the most transit accessible site, which is favorable for daily commuting of FBI employees and ease of access for contractors, visitors, and key partners that need to work with the FBI;
● Greenbelt provides the greatest schedule certainty, which is of significant importance to this project: (i) the condition of JEH is deteriorating and has an impact on the safety of FBI employees and mission of the FBI; and (ii) the requirement to maintain JEH until it is vacated, plus project cost escalation related to schedule delay, has an impact to taxpayers;
● Greenbelt offers the greatest opportunity for the Government’s investment to positively impact the Washington region through sustainable and equitable development; and
● Greenbelt has the lowest overall cost to taxpayers.

She literally said that Cost (bullet #4) and Schedule (bullet #2) were 2 of the four reasons that she decided Greenbelt was the better location.

But the Director of the FBI has indicated there was malfeasance in selecting Maryland, so there must now be an FBI investigation, meaning the project is on hold.

And Virginia will be the new site once MD is disqualified following the investigation.

You really don't know how the government works. The agencies do not get to make the decision about where they will be allocated buildings or real estate. It's like requesting a budget from Congress. POTUS can request the best or optimal budget, they can even have an OPM study that supports that they need the funding. But Congress will haggle and negotiate and end up with something completely different. Because Congress is in charge of the purse strings and they decide what appropriations are granted, regardless of whatever justification the President requests for his executive agencies.

Likewise, the FBI can request and the GSA does a study that recommends something. But the administration of the GSA does not have the follow the recommendation, and didn't in this case. But like Congress controls the purse strings, GSA controls the real estate. There is nothing that either Congress or the FBI can do about this. And even if there is an IG investigation, neither the Congressional investigation nor the IG investigation can change the decision by the GSA administrator, who signed off on the final decision.

Congress and the IG will waste time, but they cannot change this decision. It has been made and it will stay in Greenbelt. The only thing that all this does is delay when the project will start and delay the inevitable; that the FBI HQ will be built in Greenbelt as decided by the GSA.

You’re wrong. Congress can very easily change this decision by stipulating how money for a new FBI headquarters can and cannot be spent. And given how this issue has already become a political football (beyond MD v. VA), I anticipate fights ahead on Capitol Hill.

As much as you might want it, it is not “inevitable” that the HQ will be built in Greenbelt.

Not going to happen. Steny Hoyer significantly outranks both Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in the Democratic leadership (he's the former Whip). He has seniority and ranking. He may not be minority whip any longer, but he still has the political clout to ensure that the Congressional investigation gets dropped before it gets anywhere. Hoyer is not going to allow the Congress to force the location to Virginia.

No matter how much Virginians want this to be changed, there isn't really a viable path to changing the decision that the GSA has made and which Hoyer agrees with.

Hoyer has no influence over the United States Senate. More importantly, he is in the minority in the House. If the House Republicans decide they want to investigate, then they will. They may have a different motivation (to try to get the HQ in Alabama) but the investigation will uncover any conflicts and severe process flaws. Greenbelt is not a done deal by any means.

The House Republicans can't even agree on what pizza toppings to order.

It is a guarantee that this will be investigated. A black woman overruled a bunch of white dudes.

Investigations by this House aren’t very good at coming up with any evidence of actual wrongdoing, though.

[Anonymous]

The kids petitioned Mom for their holiday gifts. Mom said, I know what you want but this is how much I'm spending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids petitioned Mom for their holiday gifts. Mom said, I know what you want but this is how much I'm spending.

And also Mom changed the rules and said Y is actually more important than X. So that her decision would look better on paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Lets see.

1) The Greenbelt site is cheapest and most shovel ready

2) The Greenbelt site is inside the beltway

3) The Greenbelt site has its own metro station that is boutique and barely used. It will practically be the FBI's private metro stop.

4) Good access to Montgomery County and Howard County(the best publics in the DMV) schools.

5) Being in the Richest state in the United States.

6) Better Access to the best and by far the most Private schools than Springfield which needs to cross the river to access the MD/DC privates.

7) Better access to NSA, Annapolis, Bay and Beaches.

8) a better looking area than Springfield.

What does proximity to OC (Pittsburgh by the Sea) have to do with anything?

She’s thinking of family friendly amenities that would attract potential recruits. There’s also proximity to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the just unveiled Baltimore Harbour redevelopment that will make it the premier East Coast destination. It will be designed by the same team that successfully designed Liverpool’s waterfront redevelopment (in the UK).

[Anonymous]

Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

Baltimore, Towson, Cockeysville, Columbia, Greenbelt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

How about Prince George's County?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

DC. PG, MOCO, HOCO, Anne Arundel, anywhere near metro. Inside Beltway close to everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

MD is more affordable than Fairfax, especially for feds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where can the future FBI agents in 2033 afford to buy a home and put down roots?

Baltimore, Towson, Cockeysville, Columbia, Greenbelt

the first 3 are ridiculous commutes. Bowie, Annapolis, Severna Park/Arnold, etc.
With the first 3 you might as well throw out anything along RT4 like Dunkirk... do you live in this area?

Also the reason why outside the DMV is a no-go is because FBI made their #1 criteria proximity to Quantico and DOJ courthouses, respectively 1 and 3 sub criteria. So if Alabama or any other non-DMV site is floated by FBI as a possible site then they are dog whistling and political. You cant have that be your #1 consideration and then eliminate it without causing some confusion about what your criteria was realllly about. cough **staying away from the one of the richest majority-black counties in the US cough***