The James V. Forrestal Building TAP Report
ULI Washington's report on the February 2025 Technical Assistance Panel recommending a strategy for the future of the Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C.
On February 11 and 12, 2025, ULI Washington assembled a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to develop a roadmap for redevelopment of the James V. Forrestal Building, also known as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) headquarters or the Forrestal Complex, in the District of Columbia. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) sponsored this TAP to connect ongoing planning studies in Southwest Washington with efforts to identify federal assets for disposal.
PBRB recently analyzed 21 properties in the National Capital Region and determined that more than half of these properties could be divested from the federal real estate inventory. The James V. Forrestal Building, one of the identified buildings in Washington, has been repeatedly studied by NCPC, the District of Columbia, and private firms. Notably, NCPC's SW Ecodistrict Plan (2013) provided a shared vision for the site's potential redevelopment. The PBRB also recognizes this site's potential to catalyze new development in the surrounding area referred to as Southwest.
The TAP study area consisted of seven federally owned parcels bound by Independence Avenue, SW to the north; the 12th Street Expressway to the west; 9th Street, SW to the east; and the Maryland Avenue, SW right-of-way to the south. L'Enfant Plaza or 10th Street, SW, bisects the study area, terminating to the north at Independence Avenue, SW and the Smithsonian Castle, and to the south at Banneker Park overlooking the Southwest Waterfront and The Wharf.
The Panel considered the catalytic impact that Forrestal redevelopment could have on other dispositions in the area between Independence Avenue and the Southwest Waterfront, and in the National Capital Region overall. Through interviews with project stakeholders and deliberation on strategic steps aligned with achieving the TAP goals as identified by the sponsor team, the Panel developed a plan identifying:
- Strategies that advance divestment and redevelopment of the James V. Forrestal Complex as a catalyst to unlock additional redevelopment within the capital's monumental core.
- Financial structures and models between federal and local government entities, including the U.S. Department of Energy, which currently occupies the Forrestal Building, that ensure a financially viable and sustainable approach for all parties.
- A possible data-driven and flexible timeline that would further subsequent divestments and redevelopments.
- The authorities and a mutually satisfactory working model that would facilitate close coordination and collaboration between the District of Columbia, the General Services Administration (GSA), and other stakeholders (DOE, the historic preservation community, and other interested parties).
This report describes the Panel's recommendations in detail.
On February 11 and 12, 2025, ULI Washington assembled a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to develop a roadmap for redevelopment of the James V. Forrestal Building, also known as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) headquarters or the Forrestal Complex, in the District of Columbia. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) sponsored this TAP to connect ongoing planning studies in Southwest Washington with efforts to identify federal assets for disposal.
PBRB recently analyzed 21 properties in the National Capital Region and determined that more than half of these properties could be divested from the federal real estate inventory. The James V. Forrestal Building, one of the identified buildings in Washington, has been repeatedly studied by NCPC, the District of Columbia, and private firms. Notably, NCPC's SW Ecodistrict Plan (2013) provided a shared vision for the site's potential redevelopment. The PBRB also recognizes this site's potential to catalyze new development in the surrounding area referred to as Southwest.
The TAP study area consisted of seven federally owned parcels bound by Independence Avenue, SW to the north; the 12th Street Expressway to the west; 9th Street, SW to the east; and the Maryland Avenue, SW right-of-way to the south. L'Enfant Plaza or 10th Street, SW, bisects the study area, terminating to the north at Independence Avenue, SW and the Smithsonian Castle, and to the south at Banneker Park overlooking the Southwest Waterfront and The Wharf.
The Panel considered the catalytic impact that Forrestal redevelopment could have on other dispositions in the area between Independence Avenue and the Southwest Waterfront, and in the National Capital Region overall. Through interviews with project stakeholders and deliberation on strategic steps aligned with achieving the TAP goals as identified by the sponsor team, the Panel developed a plan identifying:
- Strategies that advance divestment and redevelopment of the James V. Forrestal Complex as a catalyst to unlock additional redevelopment within the capital's monumental core.
- Financial structures and models between federal and local government entities, including the U.S. Department of Energy, which currently occupies the Forrestal Building, that ensure a financially viable and sustainable approach for all parties.
- A possible data-driven and flexible timeline that would further subsequent divestments and redevelopments.
- The authorities and a mutually satisfactory working model that would facilitate close coordination and collaboration between the District of Columbia, the General Services Administration (GSA), and other stakeholders (DOE, the historic preservation community, and other interested parties).
This report describes the Panel's recommendations in detail.