Department of Housing and Urban Development to relocate from D.C. to Alexandria

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday that its headquarters will relocate from the crumbling Robert C. Weaver Federal Building in the District to a more modern space in Alexandria.

Federal and state officials said the move will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance and over $56 million in annual operating costs at the outdated Weaver building, which the White House approved last month for expedited disposal.

“It is time to turn the page on the Weaver Building and relocate to a new headquarters that prioritizes the well-being of HUD employees and properly reflects the passion and excellence of our team,” said HUD Secretary Scott Turner. “There are serious concerns with the current state of HUD’s headquarters — from mold to asbestos and leaks to maintenance failures.”

The move will affect more than 2,700 employees of the federal agency, which oversees housing policies nationwide. They will move to a federal office complex at 2415 Eisenhower Ave. that currently houses the National Science Foundation.

According to the federal government, HUD will eventually assume sole occupancy of the building, booting the science foundation’s 1,800 employees. It remains unclear where and when they will go.

In an email, the science foundation declined to comment.

The White House Office of Management and Budget last month approved a bipartisan agency’s recommendation to axe 11 government buildings worth $5.4 billion in the D.C. area and seven other cities, including the Weaver building.

President Trump has implemented mass government layoffs and decentralized the federal workforce as part of a broader campaign to eliminate wasteful spending since returning to office in January.

“Since the Trump Administration started transforming the federal government to better serve the American people, our team has been focused on seizing the new opportunities that this presents for the Commonwealth,” said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican. “Virginia is the proud home to many public and private-sector headquarters, and we thank HUD leadership for trusting us and are committed to supporting your important national mission.”

The Public Buildings Reform Board, an independent federal watchdog established under the Obama administration to trim underused government properties, has earmarked several D.C. agency headquarters for accelerated building sales and consolidation.

The agency has identified several properties that saw record-low use during the pandemic and where employees resisted return-to-work orders.

Other D.C. properties to be divested include the home of the Voice of America, which the Trump administration has gutted in budget cuts, and the vacant former headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security.

Last month’s list also names the massive headquarters of the Energy Department and the home base of the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service in the D.C. suburb of Riverdale, Maryland, which the federal government built in 1994 and previously flagged in December as “no longer needed.”

The General Services Administration, the federal government’s chief landlord, will carry out the necessary real estate transactions.

“The decision to relocate HUD’s headquarters is a move that reflects our commitment to fiscal responsibility and mission effectiveness,” said Michael Peters, commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service. “The Robert C. Weaver Federal Building requires hundreds of millions in long-term repairs and this move will ensure they quickly have access to a modern work environment that fits their needs.”