A couple of weeks back, The Burn was the first (and only) news outlet to break the news about the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency planning on moving one of their headquarters here to Loudoun County, creating up to 3,700 new jobs. The agency will be moving into space at Quantum Park on Loudoun County Parkway. (Read our original story here.)
Today, the official word came from Loudoun County leaders in a just-released press statement. It includes more details about the deal.
Here is the press release in its entirety:
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Loudoun County, Virginia Announces Agreement to Consolidate U.S. Customs and Border Protection Facilities in Ashburn
Agreement Will Bring 3,700 Jobs to Facility Near Metro Silver Line Ashburn Station
Ashburn, VA – Pending final approval by the Board of Supervisors, Loudoun County leaders today announced that an agreement has been reached between the County and American Real Estate Partners (AREP) to work together to finalize the lease for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) headquarters which will occupy 445,000 square feet of Class-A office space at American Square at Quantum Park, located at 22001 Loudoun County Parkway, near the Ashburn Silver Line Metro station.
The 15-year lease will consolidate CBP’s Northern Virginia OIT offices and in total, over 3,700 CBP positions will move to Loudoun, including engineers, technicians, scientists and support personnel.
“We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to host an agency critical to the safety of our country. Loudoun is an ideal location for federal agencies and contractors because we’re only 25 miles from D.C., we’re the home of Dulles International Airport and have one of the best technical workforces in the country,” said Board of Supervisors Chair At Large Phyllis Randall.
Loudoun is becoming an increasingly important destination for federal agencies and contractors. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have a significant presence in the County, along with numerous federal government contractors.
“This win confirms that Loudoun’s investments in transportation and infrastructure are paying off in a big way,” said Broad Run District Supervisor Ron Meyer. “Plus, this is a double-win in that increased job growth in Loudoun moves the employment center of gravity away from D.C. — which means less congestion from one-way commuting.”
In reaching an agreement with GSA, Loudoun was able to meet numerous criteria, including transit-accessible office space. The owner of American Square at Quantum Park, AREP, one of the region’s largest office investors with a portfolio of 11 million square feet, will be making $179 million in improvements to the facility, including build out of the existing space and a new wing. The improvements are expected to be completed in time for the Agency to move in 2020, when the Silver Line will become operational in Loudoun.
“The consolidation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection OIT in Loudoun is a continued fulfillment of the vision that the Board of Supervisors had in 2012 when we voted to extend the Silver Line to Ashburn,” said Matt Letourneau, Dulles District Supervisor and Chair of the Board’s Finance, Government Operations and Economic Development Committee. “CBP will help spur additional commercial development along our Silver Line corridor, creating opportunities for thousands of Loudoun residents closer to home and helping to ensure our continued economic growth, which has led Virginia over the past several years.”
Quantum Park, the former home of MCI/Worldcom, will also continue to house the operations of Verizon Business. The 125.8-acre Loudoun County Parkway campus contains 1.9 million square feet of office in 12 buildings spanning more than a third of a mile. In addition to being proximate to the Ashburn Metro station, the site provides easy access to the Dulles Greenway, to Route 28 and Dulles International Airport.
“This site is a great location for Customs and Border Protection because of its proximity to the new Ashburn Metro station and several nearby hubs of mixed-use amenities,” said Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Loudoun Economic Development. “Bringing CBP into our community helps underscore that Loudoun is continuing to develop into one of the region’s major employment centers.”
Loudoun County Transit will provide bus service to the campus, and numerous infrastructure improvements are already underway nearby in preparation for the Silver Line.
Loudoun County has three Metro stations under construction—Ashburn, Loudoun Gateway near Route 606, and Dulles Airport. In addition, the Innovation Metro Station near Route 28 is adjacent to Loudoun. Opportunities for development remain at sites near Metro.
As part of the agreement, the Board of Supervisors will provide lease assistance to the GSA at terms consistent with other GSA agreements in the area.The agreement will be considered by the Board of Supervisors at a future business meeting.
When will they begin hiring?
I wanna know too.
USAjobs.gov
Actually, the big press release only announces that Loudoun County and the owner of the property have reached an agreement that would allow them to complete a lease with the U.S. Government in the event the location in Loudoun is the successful offeror. GSA has not determined the successful offeror and issued an award for the CBP Office of Information Technology. And GSA cannot award the lease until CBP commits their portion of funding to the project, which has not yet happened.
Isn’t it just OIT or are there other CBP entities moving there, too?
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