DUMFRIES, VA-Seeking to become the next landlord for the Federal Bureau of Investigations—or other government agencies in the future—SunCal received some good news Wednesday when the Prince William County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a zoning amendment to the developer's Potomac Shores master-planned community.
The new measure allows SunCal to move the office and residential portions of the 1,920-acre complex to bring them closer to a planned Virginia Rail Express commuter rail station. Located 30 miles south of the downtown area, Potomac Shores is slated to include 3.7 million square feet of commercial real estate, including office and retail space as well as a resort. A Jack Nicklaus signature golf course is already on site at the property. A total of 3.987 single-family residential units also are planned.
Much of the project has yet to be built as it is “buyer driven,” David Soyka, SVP of public affairs at SunCal, tells GlobeSt.com. However, he adds, “we could begin construction very quickly once there's a buyer. If there's huge interest—which is what we anticipate—we'll build as quickly as we can.”
For the office portion, SunCal is waiting to hear whether it will land as its first tenant the FBI. As per efforts by the General Services Administration, the government's investigative arm is “looking to consolidate and move out of the Hoover building,” which is a tired structure but the current headquarters of the agency
“We submitted an extensive proposal with three different options,” says Soyka. The company hasn't received word of where it stands, he notes, but local press coverage has indicated that Potomac Shores is “high on the list,” because of its proximity to transportation. Plus, Soyka says, “It's gorgeous land.
But even if the secretive organization selects another site as its new headquarters, SunCal expects the project to house other government organizations. “It seems like the GSA is going to keep doing this—other agencies are growing out of their buildings in the district,” Soyka notes. “Newer buildings are what all agencies are going to be looking for at other points in time."
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
