Forrestal Building TAP Report Named Outstanding Technical Planning Project

Prestigious Award Recognizes Work of NCPC, PBRB, and ULI Washington

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, August 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), in partnership with the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) and the Urban Land Institute Washington (ULI), are the recipients of the Outstanding Technical Planning Project Honor Award – the highest honor presented by the American Planning Association’s Federal Planning Division – for ULI’s James V. Forrestal Building Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) Report.

Recognizing that redevelopment of Washington, D.C.’s James V. Forrestal Building would create a gateway to the Southwest Waterfront from the National Mall and unlock redevelopment opportunities along Washington’s 10th Street corridor, the ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) Report recommended that the Forrestal Building be razed and the site redeveloped.

The Report also recommended more than half of the redeveloped area be incorporated for multifamily uses with the remainder of the 1.7 million gross-square-foot parcel to be used for cultural, hotel, or office space, as well as ground-floor retail development along 10th Street, SW.

“This prestigious recognition reflects the strength of our partnership and the collective expertise, dedication, and commitment of all those who contributed to this important initiative,” says Melissa Lindsjo, AICP, CNU-A, Urban Planner in NCPC’s Long Range Planning Division.

“On behalf of NCPC, I extend my sincere appreciation to PBRB, ULI Washington, the TAP members, other key stakeholders, and the entire project team for their exceptional collaboration,” Lindsjo continues. “Together, we developed a strategic planning and real estate framework that will help inform future decision-making as federal agencies evaluate opportunities for the disposition and redevelopment of office space within the monumental core.”

The TAP Report recognized that operating costs for the Forrestal Complex exceeded $41 million annually, while the building required more than $202 million in immediate capital repairs. Given those extraordinary costs and the potential impact redevelopment could have in Southwest D.C., the Report concluded that adaptive reuse of the Complex would not be financially viable and recommended the buildings be totally razed for redevelopment opportunities

“The Public Buildings Reform Board was pleased to provide support for this ULI TAP effort and recognized that it would enhance the values of GSA’s disposal actions, while increasing economic development benefits in Southwest D.C. In addition, alternatives for the Department of Energy’s (DoE) headquarters at the James Forrestal Complex are available, and will provide long-term cost savings to taxpayers, given current spending on rent, operations, and maintenance, while providing modern, efficient workspaces for DoE employees,” says PBRB Board member David L. Winstead.

He continues, “The TAP Report concluded that once the Forrestal Complex is redeveloped, there will be a catalytic impact on development in Southwest, including disposition and redevelopment of other federal assets and redevelopment of private buildings for other uses, resulting in a net increase of 1.9 million square feet of floor area ratio (FAR) and $150.9 million in new tax revenue.”

To champion redevelopment, the TAP Report recognized GSA’s leadership in coordinating a partnership whose key focus would be to guide the disposition and redevelopment process of these surplus federal assets. In addition, the Report recommended:
• Creation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by a coordinating entity and key stakeholders to create transparency around the parameters of the redevelopment effort;
• Identification of an intended public benefit user (such as the Smithsonian, health care organizations, universities, or non-profits) for transfer of a public/civic parcel of the site;
• Identification of transaction structures offering the most potential through redevelopment;
• Redevelopment of the parcels, with uses likely to succeed based on current market factors, to include 2.4 million square feet of residential space (2,443 units), 800,000 square feet of museum/cultural space, 200,000 square feet of hotel space (286 keys), 200,000 square feet of office space, and 73,791 square feet of retail space;
• Identification of capital sources (market and public/private partnership tools) and possibilities dependent upon transaction structures.

The TAP Report also strongly recommended that all dispositions be coordinated in a thoughtful way so that the market would not be flooded with empty federal buildings.

ULI Washington’s Technical Assistance Panel program provides expert, multidisciplinary advice on land use and real estate issues facing public agencies and nonprofit organizations in the National Capital Region. To date, ULI Washington has completed more than 65 TAPs.

About NCPC
The National Capital Planning Commission is the federal government's central planning agency in Washington, DC and surrounding counties of Maryland and Virginia. NCPC provides overall planning guidance in the region by reviewing the design of federal and certain local projects, overseeing long-range planning for future development, and monitoring capital investment by federal agencies. https://www.ncpc.gov/

About PBRB
The Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) was established as an independent, bipartisan agency under FASTA to identify opportunities for the reduction and consolidation of the federal real property inventory and reduce costs to the federal government. For more information, visit https://www.pbrb.gov/.

About ULI Washington
ULI Washington is one of the Urban Land Institute’s largest District Councils worldwide, with approximately 2,000 members across D.C., Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland. ULI Washington welcomes membership and participation from individuals who share our commitment to responsible land use to sustain the growth and prosperity of the National Capital Region. The opportunity to influence local land use policy remains the focus and achievement of ULI Washington. https://washington.uli.org/

About ULI Technical Assistance Panels
ULI Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) connect public agencies and community organizations with seasoned real estate and land use professionals for independent, expert advice on complex development challenges. Drawing on ULI Washington's network of local experts, panelists spend one to two days studying a specific site or issue and deliver actionable recommendations. https://washington.uli.org/get-involved/technical-assistance-panels/

Ray Weiss
Pugh & Tiller PR
+1 4103035019
email us here