January 18, 2006: NORTON SAYS GSA AND STATE DEPARTMENT APPLICATIONS FOR WALTER REED STILL LEAVE...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2006

NORTON SAYS GSA AND STATE DEPARTMENT APPLICATIONS FOR WALTER REED STILL LEAVE MANY OPEN QUESTIONS ABOUT FINAL DISPOSITION OF SITE

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), ranking member of the subcommittee with General Services Administration (GSA) jurisdiction, said that both GSA and the State Department have submitted full applications for different sites on the Walter Reed Hospital campus. The GSA, which has applied to build on 34 acres of the 110 acre site, has applied for the property on the northeast corner involving the part of the campus where there are the fewest structures and the site of the main hospital. This portion is believed to be the easiest site on which to do construction, and is considered the most buildable because it has the fewest number of historical buildings, which are a particular problem throughout the campus. The GSA application also would probably lead to the demolition of a new amputee center which will go forward in any case pending the building of a new Walter Reed Hospital on the Bethesda campus. Of the two-thirds of the campus left, the State Department has put in a full application for a site on the Northwest corner. There is no information on what either agency would build on the site. However, the GSA has a great need for office space in the District of Columbia, and the State Department has a need of chancery space. Norton is seeking further information on whether the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicated some initial interest, intends to put in a full application. If so, this application could possibly be for some laboratory space.

Norton said that the area that has not been claimed for applications south of the new hospital could support small buildings and that considering the size of the campus, some use by the District of Columbia might still be possible. Norton is pressing for more information particularly on the area fronting Georgia Avenue, which is the area’s commercial and retail street and might prove useful for similar use.

The Congresswoman cautioned that these are only applications and do not signal final deals because BRAC requires that the Army maximize the revenue it can get for the property, and in addition, the Department of Defense must consider the best interest of the community. Norton continues to believe that the campus is a long way from being available to either the government or the local community because of severe deficit problems that have been very contentious in the Congress. The existing Walter Reed is still in good working order and is not an emergency that requires an immediate appropriation or an appropriation in the near future.