Current headquarters has been deemed too small and ill-equipped to accommodate new technology needs.

Current headquarters has been deemed too small and ill-equipped to accommodate new technology needs. Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com

Maryland and Virginia Still Both in Running for New FBI Headquarters

GSA releases short list of finalists for move from obsolete downtown Hoover building.

In a next step toward building a new consolidated headquarters for the FBI, the General Services Administration on Tuesday unveiled a short list of three suburban Washington sites that could win the competition.

Two of the potential sites are in Maryland and one in Virginia. The Maryland finalists are both in Prince George’s County: the Greenbelt Metro Station near the​ ​intersection of Interstates 95​/495 ​and Exit 24, and the former Landover Mall located ​near​ the intersection of Interstates 95​/495 and MD 202.

In Virginia, the finalist is in the Springfield area of Fairfax County. The site is the GSA Franconia Warehouse Complex, and is located near​ the intersection of​ Interstate 95 and Franconia Road​.

GSA has set requirements that the replacement for the current FBI headquarters in downtown Washington on Pennsylvania Ave. -- deemed too small and ill-equipped to accommodate new technology needs -- be near public transportation.

Developers and the congressional delegations from Maryland and Northern Virginia have been actively courting GSA for the FBI prize.

GSA is now moving to conduct National Environmental Policy Act reviews on each of the three sites, which will include opportunities for public comment. After that the agency will initiate a request for proposals.

(Image via Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com)