SunCal

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March 07, 2013

SunCal and Prince William County Submit Joint Response to GSA Request for Information Concerning New FBI Headquarters
New Potomac Shores Community Proposed as Site for Consolidated FBI Campus

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA., (March 7, 2013) – In a comprehensive reply to a General Services Administration (GSA) Request for Information seeking input about a new FBI headquarters location, land developer SunCal and Prince William County have submitted a joint response presenting SunCal’s Potomac Shores community as the ideal location for a consolidated FBI campus.

The GSA is seeking to provide the FBI with a new headquarters facility ideally involving an exchange of the J. Edgar Hoover Building property in Washington, D.C., for the construction of a new facility providing 2.1 million square feet of office space, among other criteria.

Potomac Shores is a 1,920-acre mixed-use, master-planned community located 30 miles south of Washington, and it is a transit-oriented development situated along the Potomac River. A Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter station is planned for the town center and the site has convenient access to I-95 and Route 1. The SunCal/Prince William County response presents three design options for the new FBI headquarters and also discusses the potential financing scenarios for the new facilities. SunCal also informed the GSA that it is willing to consider contributing the new FBI campus land to the exchange at no cost.

“Prince William County is an ideal location for the FBI’s new headquarters,” said Corey A. Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. “In partnership with SunCal, we’ve put forward a location at Potomac Shores that will meet the Bureau’s security and access needs in a setting that is unmatched in the National Capitol Region.”

Potomac Shores was presented as an ideal FBI site for the following reasons:

  • It is a mixed-use development featuring: a town center with retail venues; a five-star hotel and conference center; commercial/office space for FBI support organizations; a wide range of homes for FBI employees to live in; and a marina, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, fitness centers and public parks.
  • Public Infrastructure – Public infrastructure (roads, utilities, stormwater, etc.) is immediately available and is being financed through a Community Development Authority (CDA).
  • Prince William County Support – The County is fully supportive of the Potomac Shores development and in bringing the FBI to Potomac Shores. Prince William County has a history of partnerships with qualified economic development projects resulting in assistance to locate those projects in the County. The Board of County Supervisors has approved the CDA which provides the funding mechanism for the infrastructure.
  • Mass Transit – A new VRE rail station will be located within a five-minute walk of the FBI site and is anticipated to be built by 2017. In addition, Prince William County has both an inter/intra-County bus system which links to Metro and VRE stations.
  • Roads – New High Occupancy Toll lanes (HOT) on nearby I-95 are being extended past the site and with quick access to State Route 234. The commuting route from Washington and the inner suburbs also takes advantage of a reverse commute route along I-95 South. Internal road systems are being constructed to support the campus.
  • Air Transport – The proposed FBI site is a 20-minute drive from the Manassas Regional Airport which houses FBI air assets. The site is also close to Turner Field at Marine Corps Base Quantico, offering another air option.
  • Power and Fiber – Stable and redundant electrical power is available from the nearby Dominion power plant. Dominion serves the site from an existing substation two miles away, and a future, planned substation will be built approximately one mile away on Dominion-owned land. The site is also extensively served by multiple fiber providers.
  • Utilities – Internal roads, sewer, water and storm drainage are currently available at Potomac Shores and can be easily brought directly into the proposed FBI campus.
  • Security – The site can meet ISC Level V security requirements. FBI training facilities and other forensic agencies are based nearby at Quantico, whose security measures at Turner Field already include military controlled air space. Additionally, the site is close to multiple levels of Military Operations Areas requiring advance notice of any fly-through by aircraft.

Prince William County has a history of successful collaboration with both the GSA and the FBI. In 2008, the FBI’s Northern Virginia Resident Agency built a new, LEED-certified Gold 200,000 square-foot facility in the County that has been an efficient and attractive location for key FBI operations and personnel.

“Prince William County has an established record of working effectively with the FBI and GSA to meet their facility needs,” said Jeffrey A. Kaczmarek, Executive Director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development. “SunCal is a strong development partner with exceptional experience and expertise who will blend the FBI’s critical requirements into this exceptional site.”

SunCal is one of the nation’s leading privately held land developers and is experienced in working with Federal agencies to obtain government land in exchange for major new facilities. In April 2011, the U.S. Army Reserve and SunCal signed the Army’s largest-ever Reserve Property Exchange Agreement. The record-setting transaction involves SunCal building $66 million of new military facilities at Camp Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in Dublin, California, in exchange for 180 acres of land that will be developed into a master-planned community.