The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the planned disposition of the Agriculture South (Ag South) building in Washington, DC. The Ag South disposition will deliver significant value to taxpayers while advancing the Trump Administration’s objectives to reinvigorate, consolidate, and better utilize the federal real estate portfolio.
“GSA is enthusiastically committed to executing President Trump’s vision of reducing the bloated federal real estate portfolio and turning the fiscal drain of empty space into economic opportunity,” said GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst. “I applaud Secretary Rollins, Deputy Secretary Vaden, and Senator Ernst for their efforts to save taxpayer money and make our federal workspaces great again.”
Currently, taxpayers are carrying a billion-dollar liability for a building that is more than 85 percent vacant. Disposition eliminates risk and avoids $1.6 billion in delinquent maintenance, while achieving President Trump’s goal of rightsizing USDA’s footprint. As a result, USDA’s average utilization will dramatically increase from its current average of 15 percent to 80 percent in their proposed location.
Through a deliberate planning process, USDA developed a comprehensive strategy to better align its workforce with contemporary space to meet their operational needs. USDA’s plan to dispose of unnecessary and excessive space aligns with the Administration’s goal to hone the federal real estate portfolio.
Source : gsa.gov