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On Wednesday, At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson issued a press release, criticizing Mayor Adrian M. Fenty for deciding not to relocate police facilities to an old warehouse the District rents on Virginia Avenue SE, thus wasting loads of cash: “The District has now paid over $6.5 million for the vacant structure, and continues to hand over taxpayer dollars with no clear end in sight,” the release read. “’It was evident at the time that the administration was acting without an alternative plan in place,’ stated Mendelson. ‘After a year, there is still no plan. The government is simply wasting money.'”
The next day, the Examiner went with the story, quoting mayoral development spokesperson Sean Madigan saying that the city was going to seek proposals for the property “by the end of this week.”
Now, Friday at 5:14 p.m., comes this nugget from the Office of Property Management:
DISTRICT SEEKS OFFERS FOR 225 VIRGINIA AVE SE
(Washington DC) – The District Office of Property Management (OPM) today released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking offers for the sublease, with option to purchase, for 225 Virginia Avenue, SE, just south of the Southeast Expressway within walking distance of the new Nationals Park. The lease was negotiated by the previous administration to house various relocated functions of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including the First District Headquarters and evidence warehouse.
“This is a very attractive opportunity,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, Acting Director of the Office of Property Management. “The property sits at the head of Canal Block Park in the heart of the exciting new Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, close to Capitol Hill.” The site, about 97,000 sq. ft., is also within walking distance to two Metro stations with great visibility from I-395, Director Jasper added.
Says OPM spokesperson Bill Rice, “We’re not trying to hide this. We want to get as much distribution as possible.”