City Proposes A Metro Move To Anacostia

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is proposing a sale of Metro's downtown headquarters in a deal that city officials say would move the agency to a new building at the Anacostia Metro station, spur economic development and provide funding for a vital transit construction project.

The proposal would have to be approved by Metro's board, which has received offers for the building in the past. D.C. Council member Jim Graham, who represents the city on the Metro board, said the proposal is a "win for Metro, a win for Anacostia and a win" for riders. Graham (D-Ward 1) said he plans to ask the Metro board at a budget committee meeting next month for authorization to proceed with talks.

The proposal, delivered late yesterday to the office of Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr., is valued by city officials at $108 million. It envisions that the District would receive the rights to sell Metro's headquarters in the Jackson Graham Building at 600 Fifth St. NW. City officials say a developer could pay about $68 million for the eight-story building. The city would use the money to build a state-of-the-art office building for Metro at the Anacostia station.

If the building sells for more, Metro would receive additional proceeds. In addition, the city would pay Metro $40 million toward the construction of a pedestrian tunnel between the Gallery Place and Metro Center stations. Such a tunnel has been discussed for years among Metro planners, but the project has lacked funding. A tunnel would allow passengers to connect with all five rail lines at two of the busiest downtown stations.

The D.C. Council would have to approve the proposal's financing.

There are 1,320 Metro employees at the downtown office, including those who staff the agency's Operations Control Center, the central communications hub for the buses, trains and Metro Transit Police. The proposal calls for a new building to be completed by January 2010.

In return, officials say, Metro would stimulate development in Anacostia, a priority of the Fenty administration. In addition, the city would receive property tax revenue from the new owner of the Jackson Graham Building.

"We want to move development aggressively into neighborhoods that haven't benefited over the last decade," said Neil Albert, deputy mayor for economic development.

Albert said city officials had looked at Metro's needs at its current location -- there are special "chillers" on the roof to cool three Metro stations -- and said the city's proposal "will satisfy their needs."

Chris Zimmerman, who represents Virginia on the Metro board, said that he had not seen the proposal but that he was "certainly open" to the idea if it makes sense financially and operationally.

About two years ago, Metro received an unsolicited proposal from a developer to sell the building and relocate, but Metro did not proceed because the deal would have generated a "negative return," Zimmerman said.

Catoe, who had not yet seen the proposal yesterday before leaving for a business trip to Los Angeles, said he understood the District's desire to move Metro to spur development in Anacostia.

"Philosophically and personally, I support it," said Catoe, who was born and grew up in Southeast Washington. "But any proposal given to us has to be one that has to work to the best interests of [Metro] and the regional area."