Complex Could Relocate 5,000 HHS Jobs

By The Post's Greg Gaudio:

At least two developers are interested in building nearly 1 million square feet of office space for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services near a Metro stop in Prince George's County.

If constructed, such a complex would relocate about 5,000 federal jobs to the county, fatten property tax coffers and serve as a major anchor near a transit station.

"Of course it would have a huge impact on the county," said Patricia Thornton, a spokeswoman for the Prince George's County Economic Development Corp.

But the owner of the Parklawn Building in Rockville, the department's current headquarters housing about 3,000 HHS employees, would like to renovate that facility to keep the department there.

When its lease expires July 31, 2010, HHS has the option of staying in the 18-story Parklawn, one of the largest privately owned buildings in the state, or moving to a new location.

The General Services Administration, which oversees development for the executive branch, has been accepting proposals for a 935,000-square-foot office building in suburban Maryland, which it would lease for HHS. The project's prospectus estimates that the lease would run for 15 years at $30 million a year.

Continue reading this story >>>