National Science Foundation Moving from Arlington to Alexandria in 2017

The National Science Foundation is moving to Alexandria in 2017.

The General Services Administration announced Friday that it selected a 15-year lease on a 660,848-square-foot office for the NSF that will be built in the parking lots adjacent to the AMC Hoffman Center 22 movie theater in Eisenhower Valley.  

According to the news release:

The deal saves taxpayers $65 million over the 15-year term of the lease, while providing space that the National Science Foundation (NSF) needs to serve the American people in supporting fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.

The GSA announced that the new office will be leased at a rental rate that is more than 30 percent below market value.

The new headquarters will be part of the Hoffman Town Center, a mixed-use urban center adjacent to the Eisenhower Avenue Metro Station and within three blocks of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office campus and the U.S. Federal District Courthouse.

The NSF is one of the federal government’s primary scientific research organizations. The institution has a $7 billion annual budget, 2,400 employees and a contractor tail of another 2,200.

"This is a huge win for Alexandria," Alexandria Councilman Justin Wilson wrote in a message to Patch on Friday afternoon. "Together with the Patent and Trademark Office, Alexandria is now the center of research and innovation. It's very exciting."

The GSA allowed the NSF to continue operating out of its headquarters at 4121 and 4201 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington County’s Ballston neighborhood until the new office is completed.

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