WMATA selects office building sites in Maryland, Virginia

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday announced plans to build office buildings in New Carrollton, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, to house the majority of its professional workforce.

The site selections for the two buildings are the next major milestone in the authority's regional office consolidation plan. By reducing the number of its office buildings from 10 to four, the authority will save an estimated $130 million over the next 20 years, WMATA officials said in a press release.

Earlier this month, the authority began seeking a long-term ground lease for its current Jackson Graham Building headquarters in Washington, D.C. That followed last fall’s selection of L'Enfant Plaza as the location for WMATA's new D.C. headquarters.

The New Carrollton office building site is adjacent to a Metrorail station, and the Alexandria site is near Eisenhower Avenue Station. To be constructed on WMATA-owned land, both buildings will be designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification to benefit the environment and reduce long-term operating costs, authority officials said in a press release.

“[The] office consolidation plan is a smart investment in our future that will improve conditions for our workforce while benefiting the region," said WMATA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld. "Our three new office sites in D.C., New Carrollton and Alexandria will save Metro — and taxpayers — significant money in the long term, while spurring additional private development and job creation in the surrounding communities."