Thursday, June 02, 2016

College Park now home to Federal Aviation Administration second-largest office

Kathryn's Report: http://www.kathrynsreport.com

College Park’s Federal Aviation Administration office, the largest outside of Washington, D.C., now accommodates 1,100 employees as of May 16.

A recent renovation provided additional workspace for 330 newly relocated employees.

The city of College Park and the FAA Southern Region center at 1701 Columbia Ave. will hold a formal reception June 14.

“This is a great accomplishment,” College Park Mayor Jack P. Longino said in a statement. “I’m proud of the mindset of the FAA in seeking a solution to expand the offerings of this location, right in the heart of downtown College Park. To attract jobs and businesses to the downtown area is consistent with the growth of our city center, and there are yet more things to come.”

The office is the largest of nine U.S. regional offices, according to city spokesman Gerald H. Walker.

“The Southern Region center’s campus is located next to College Park’s MARTA rail station and other urban amenities such as Hotel Indigo and ThePad on Harvard, a $35 million mixed-use complex under construction that will offer 109 deluxe apartments, restaurants and 25,000 square feet of retail,” he said in a statement.

The local consolidation of its workforce represents increased efficiency within the FAA, according to officials.

“Our partnership with the city of College Park has enabled us to reduce the size of our office space while continuing to provide our employees with a quality work environment where they can support the agency’s important safety mission,” Dennis E. Roberts, FAA Southern Region administrator, said in a statement.

City Manager Terrence Moore hailed the cooperation between the various parties – the FAA, the U.S. General Services Administration and College Park.

“On behalf of city administration, I’m extremely proud of not only the associated accomplishments relative to resulting economic development synergy but also for the tremendous collaborative partnership we enjoy,” he said in a statement. “The commitment and dedication relative to the consummated lease transaction will likewise advance our progressive approach to future development.”

The FAA has leased space in the College Park building since 1993 and in 2014 it signed a 10-year lease renewal for the 217,313-square-foot property, Walker said.

The synergy and efficiency allowed the shifting of about 330 employees from nearby locations to the Southern Region Center, which now accommodates more than 1,100 employees.

“This is a great achievement in our vision for an aerotropolis, or airport city,” Artie Jones III, College Park’s director of economic development, said in a statement. “The business synergy within College Park’s downtown area, coupled with the infrastructure improvements underway helps in creating an environment that will attract, retain, and expand our businesses for decades to come.”

The city Park employed Colliers International, a global real estate company, and the Atlanta office of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank to finalize the lease transaction.

Original article can be found here: http://www.mdjonline.com

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