Proposed sales, sudden firings strike commonwealth’s urban crescent

By Louis Hansen

The Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO

A brief posting on a government website this month listed federally-owned properties across the country that could potentially be sold. It was a glimpse into what federal cuts could do to Virginia’s economy and the federal government’s presence in the state.

The General Services Administration (GSA) listed 28 properties, mostly in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads, as “excess real property” that could be put up for sale. The agency said removing the properties from the federal rolls would reduce maintenance costs, although it did not break down the accounting for the proposed savings.

The targeted facilities hold offices for geologists, scientists, representatives for the IRS, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and customs and border patrol agents, among other functions.

A few of the properties listed for potential sale:

In Norfolk, the agency targeted the Owen B. Pickett Custom House, named after the former congressman, and the downtown Federal Building as excess assets. The buildings are office space for employees of OSHA, EEOC and customs agents, among others.
In Richmond, the Federal Building on N. 8th Street houses a variety of government agencies.
In Reston, the John Wesley Powell Building serves as the U.S. Geological Survey headquarters, a hub for scientists and research.
In Charlottesville, the Federal Executive Institute and Pendleton Hall, a training center for federal executives near the University of Virginia.

The federal buildings reside in districts represented by both Republican and Democratic congress members.

“GSA will consider non-core assets for divestment from government ownership in an orderly fashion to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space, or the significant maintenance costs associated with long-term building ownership,” the agency said in a March 4 statement. Many of the cuts to federal agencies taken by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are being challenged in court or, in some cases, rescinded.

Beyond the potential sales of federal facilities, the impact of the federal cuts on Virginia could be substantial, said Bob McNab, chairman of the Department of Economics at Old Dominion University. More than 8 in 10 federal civilian employees in the state live in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Virginia is home to 117,000 active duty service members and 195,000 federal workers, according to the most recent population figures.

He expects the economic effects of the dramatic cuts to begin showing up in the next three months. A recession is possible, said McNab, who authors an annual report on the state of the Hampton Roads economy.

“One of the problems that we are facing immediately is there's a lack of transparency on where cuts are occurring with regards to employees,” McNab said. “Virginia is relatively vulnerable to reductions in force, relocations of federal agencies, and halts or reductions in federal spending.”

This story was produced in collaboration with Big Local News.

Reach Louis Hansen at louis.hansen@vcij.org.

Source: U.S. General Services Administration. Map by Cheryl Phillips, Big Local News.