Master Plan Approved For Intelligence Community Campus

A master plan for a new intelligence community campus in Bethesda has been unanimously approved by the National Capital Planning Commission, The Gazette reports.

The was formerly known as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. NGIA employees were transferred to Virginia as a part of the federally-mandated Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The new facility, known as the Intelligence Community Campus – Bethesda, will be operated by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and proposed changes to the campus, including construction of a parking structure, are expected to begin in mid-2012.

The proposed plan for the site who raised concerns about the mass of the parking structure, impacts on Potomac River views and possible cutting of trees. Following meetings with the community, the Army Corps of Engineers limited the parking garage to 1,825 spaces, instead of the 2,200 initially planned, The Gazette reports.

“We feel that the primary issues related to forest preservation, traffic and views have been minimized by this design,” said commission planner Jeff Hinkle, according to The Gazette. “This is a great model in how to reuse a federal facility.”

The plan includes demolishing two of the site’s five buildings and renovating and connecting the remaining three, the Gazette reports. The first phase of the project, which includes the demolition, is expected to cost $40 million.

Read the full story at The Gazette.

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