By Chris Kain
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Federal officials yesterday announced plans to sell the 2 million-square-foot southern section of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s headquarters in Southwest DC — the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to scale back the government’s real estate portfolio.

Located just south of Independence Avenue, the neoclassical “Ag South” building — constructed in the 1930s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — is more than 85% vacant and has $1.6 billion in deferred maintenance needs, according to federal officials. The proposed disposition does not encompass USDA’s adjoining James L. Whitten Federal Building, which is located between the National Mall and Independence Avenue.

“This is a long overdue move to protect American taxpayer dollars from being wasted on expensive real estate inside the Washington, D.C. area when our government should be closer to the farmers and ranchers we serve,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

As of yesterday, the Ag South building is now among five buildings in DC that appear on the General Services Administration’s listing of “assets identified for accelerated disposition.” The spreadsheet also identifies the Liberty Loan building at 401 14th St. SW and a federal office building at 301 7th St. SW, both of which are listed as being under contract; the other two properties, both added last spring, are the Wilbur J. Cohen Building at 330 Independence Ave. SW and the Robert C. Weaver Building at 451 7th St. SW.

Local leaders have expressed concern about the reduction of the federal workforce based in the District and the National Capital Area, but they have also touted opportunities that arise from the disposition of underutilized federal property.

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