FCC Signs Lease for New HQ After Court Rules Against Landlord Restraining Order
The FCC signed a lease for its new headquarters at Sentinel Square III at 45 L St. NE, a commission spokesman told us Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims denied last week a motion for special relief and a temporary restraining order filed by the FCC's current landlord Republic Properties affiliate Parcel 49C that would have prevented the General Services Administration from awarding the bid, according to court documents. No specific timeline for the move is available, the spokesman told us, though the FCC's lease on the current Portals building expires in October.
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FCC employees were informed of the signing Monday, the spokesman said. The Sentinel Square location is “Class A office space” with a total of 34.5 million square feet of development and proximity to Union Station, according Trammell Crow's website. The FCC sought 394,000- 473,000 square feet of office space, according to GSA documents. Trammell Crow had described Sentinel Square as being especially attractive to the GSA. “Sentinel Square has a high level of appeal to the GSA as it presents an opportunity for GSA to consolidate occupying entities into fully government occupied leased facilities, thereby providing security, technologic and operating efficiencies not otherwise available in the current roster of leased facilities,” said Trammell Crow's website.
Earlier this month, Parcel 49C lost its protest of GSA's handling of bids for the commission's new home (see 1612050046), but appealed the case and filed the motion and a request for a restraining order. The documents are sealed, but court records show the restraining order was intended to keep the defendants -- the U.S. government and Trammell Crow -- from completing the bid reward process. Though the court's ruling is also sealed, court records show Parcel 49C's filings were denied last week.
Trammell Crow-owned Sentinel Square is in Washington's NoMa section. Parcel 49C had said the GSA award to Trammell Crow was a conflict of interest. The GSA didn't comment Tuesday.