U.S. General Services Administration
GSA To Dispose of 129-Acre Federal Complex in Auburn, WA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2017
AUBURN, WA -- The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) today announced plans to dispose of the Auburn Federal Complex in Region 10.
After assessing the economic viability of maintaining the property and aging buildings, GSA determined that disposing of the entire 129-acre site is the best solution for the federal government.
“As we focus on providing effective workplace solutions for tenants, including GSA, this decision allows us to bring savings and minimize liabilities for the American taxpayers,” said Chaun Benjamin, Acting Regional Administrator for GSA’s Northwest/Arctic Region.
The plan includes disposal of the entire Auburn Complex, including GSA’s Northwest/Arctic Regional headquarters, the Social Security Administration building, childcare center, all warehouses, and ancillary buildings.
GSA will now determine the most efficient method to dispose of the property. Once that determination is made, a project schedule will be established. The current tenants of the Auburn Federal Complex will remain in place as the schedule is implemented.
At this time, no new location has been determined for any of the Auburn Federal Complex tenants, including GSA.
GSA is committed to working with our federal tenants on housing solutions that will ensure their future mission readiness.
The Auburn Federal Complex is comprised of approximately 129 acres of land located one mile south of the Commercial Business District of the City of Auburn. Originally purchased in 1944 by the United States Army as 435 acres of farmland, it was improved with over 20 dry storage warehouses for use during World War II.
In 1962, GSA took ownership of a 177-acre portion with multiple WWII vintage warehouses, three 1950s era warehouses, an administration office, and a water tower. The remaining U.S. Army property was sold to private developers.
During the 1990s, GSA donated land to the City of Auburn for a park and the Auburn City School Bus Depot. An additional 8.4 acres was donated to the City of Auburn for its municipal fire training center.
The disposal of the Auburn Complex is part of a larger strategy to evaluate underutilized assets, and shrink the federal footprint. In the past five years, GSA conducted 976 real property transactions, at an estimated value of $312 million, including public auctions, public benefit transactions to states and local governments, and federal transfers.
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