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ARLINGTON, VA-Last month, when the Pentagon began the painful process of announcing base closures around the country, it cited a curious reason why it was abandoning its office leases in this suburb some 10 miles outside of Washington, DC. The buildings, in which thousands of Department of Defense employees work, did not meet the General Service Administration's antiterrorism standards. Among other requirements, the standards call for buildings not on military bases to be set back at least 82 ft from traffic. The departure, if it is approved by Congress, will result in four million sf of vacant office space here.

Local officials and industry executives in the area wonder if the standards are indeed the reason for the Pentagon's decision. "There is a fundamental question as to whether the force protection rational is a legitimate BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission) criteria," says Shaun Pharr, senior vice president of government affairs for the Building Owners & Managers Association.

These standards have been under development since 2002, finalized close to a year ago. But, Pharr tells Property Protection Report, this is the first time they have been spotlighted to such an extent. This case is also the first time they have been strictly applied.