GREENBELT, Md. (7News) — Maryland political leaders are calling it a historic decision that will transform Prince George’s County’s economy for decades to come. Thursday the federal government, specifically the General Services Administration (GSA), announced that Greenbelt, Maryland will be the new site for the FBI’s state-of-the-art headquarters.
GSA officials cited lower, higher rates for transportation and monetary equity as the most sensible reasons Maryland beat Virginia. In fact, Maryland officials said the Greenbelt site would charge $300 million to $500 million less than the Virginia site.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore couldn’t hide his joy after the GSA’s announcement that a 62-acre site near the Greenbelt metro station in Prince George’s County surpasses those in Springfield, Virginia, and Landover, Maryland.
“Maryland has won four of the five criteria, for which we are grateful,” added Governor Moore. “Construction will happen in Maryland. Se will be in Prince George’s County, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
The state of Maryland has already set aside about $200 million to initiate infrastructure innovations for a task that is expected to take years and cost billions of dollars. Other regional leaders say there is financial equity, in the form of economic progress and job opportunities for Prince George’s County. Citizens – it’s a cause for celebration. This task is expected to generate approximately 7,500 to 8,000 tasks.
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Alsobrook added, “And if you’re asking me whether or not I screamed and danced, yes, I did because I need to see families here and across our state and region revel in the same kind of prosperity that we’ve noticed through those investments in spaces like Fairfax County and Virginia.
While Maryland celebrates, Virginia fights back.
U. S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia expressed outrage at the resolution, saying political interference led to the Commonwealth losing a coveted federal infrastructure project. In fact, Senator Kaine claims that a very sensible GSA official overruled the resolution of a three-member panel that unanimously chose Springfield, Virginia, instead of Greenbelt, Maryland.
“The management opposes the announced resolution and does what was unanimously advised by the guilty professionals to analyze the most productive site for the FBI. This is not over,” Kaine added.
Alsobrooks concluded, “They’re fighting for their residents and I’m fighting for mine. I’m fighting to make sure that the people who are here and across this state have the opportunity to see the same sort of generational wealth that they have seen and so that’s what this is about. If this was not valuable you would not see what you are seeing today, which is the pushback.”
It’s unclear what exactly Virginia’s congressional delegation will do to oppose that decision. Congress controls the strings of the bags, and that’s it.