The November 19 hearing, “Federal Triangle South: Redeveloping Underutilized Federal Property Through Public Private Partnerships,” began with optimistic opening remarks. Lou Barletta (R-PA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management,…
Tag: Capitol Markets
Flying the Flag at Half-Staff
Fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. In remembrance of this somber occasion, President Obama recently issued a proclamation naming this past Friday a Day of Remembrance and directing the flag to be…
A Look at the Federal Buildings Fund
One of the lessons learned from the October shutdown, as recently discussed on this blog, is that GSA rent is subject to congressional appropriations even though the Federal Buildings Fund (FBF) has the needed money. In fact,…
FBI Field Office Sales Trend
It’s clear that cap rates for long-term, GSA-leased properties have fallen steadily since the end of the 2008 recession. Yet, we’ve been challenged to demonstrate that in a meaningful way. The problem is that merely reporting…
Spotlight: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been on the hot seat lately, in congressional hearings over the troubled Healthcare.gov website. But overseeing much of the Affordable Care Act implementation is…
Lessons Learned From Shutdown ’13
Through all of the partisan dysfunction our nation has endured in recent years, the federal budgeting process nonetheless managed to stagger along. Until October 1st. Then the U.S. Government experienced its first shutdown since 1995. The…
A Look at DOE’s Cool New Energy Systems Integration Facility
Photovoltaic panels on high performance buildings can significantly cut energy costs and carbon emissions. But distributed, intermittent renewable energy sources are a challenge to integrate with the aging U.S. electrical grid. The vital goal of a…
GAO Report Urges Greater Focus on Ownership
In September, the GAO issued the latest in a long series of reports concluding that GSA’s leasing strategy is flawed. This report, entitled “Greater Transparency and Strategic Focus Needed for High-Value Leases”, studied the 218 largest leases in…
Federal Courts Downsizing
Even as construction began on a long-awaited, 600,000 SF courthouse in Los Angeles this fall, efforts to downsize or close federal court facilities picked up in pace. Last week, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts…
Spotlight: Federal Protective Service
With doors still locked at federal buildings around the country, many are wondering: Who is maintaining security during the funding hiatus? For about 9,000 facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration (GSA) or the…