How big of a “moat” would the FBI need if it stayed downtown?
The FBI and the General Services Administration (GSA) are searching for a site to house a new consolidated FBI headquarters. Though no sites in DC remain in consideration, there are a few who wonder why they don’t just reuse the existing Hoover Building site on Pennsylvania Avenue.
One of the strong preferences in the GSA’s site location criteria is for a 350 foot “security buffer zone” surrounding the new headquarters building. Though this is apparently not an outright requirement, the GSA and FBI have said that they strongly prefer sites that can offer such a buffer.
The image above shows what such a 350 foot buffer zone would look like around the existing Hoover Building footprint.
As you can see, this would seriously impact buildings on almost every block adjacent to the Hoover Building. It would affect the IRS headquarters, the Justice Department, and especially the historic Ford’s Theater. It would also have a minor impact on the Navy Memorial.
From a transportation perspective, it would block E Street, 9th Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue, all major streets in the DC core.
A version of this post originally appeared in Just Up the Hill.