While much focus has been put on how many federal offices in downtown Washington, D.C., are empty, it turns out that federal employees aren’t returning to their offices much here in Alexandria, either.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, government agencies moved to “maximum telework,” including remote work for employees who traditionally did not have that option. Many of those employees still have not returned to the office full time, instead continuing to work from home or alternative locations.
The City of Alexandria is home to a major Dept. of Defense installation at the Mark Center and the National Science Foundation in the Eisenhower East neighborhood. In addition, the Patent and Trademark Office occupies significant space in the Carlyle District.
The GAO reported: “Our review of three selected weeks during January, February, and March 2023 found that 17 of the 24 federal agencies used on average an estimated 25 percent or less of the capacity of their headquarters buildings. On the higher range, agencies used an estimated 39 to 49 percent of the capacity of their headquarters on average.”
Specifically, the National Science Foundation had a building utilization less of 16% in those three weeks during which the GAO conducted its survey. The Mark Center was slightly higher at about 23% utilization.
The Dept. of Commerce, of which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is a part, had a building utilization rate averaging 35%, though the report does not clarify whether that 35% includes the Patent and Trademark Office space in Alexandria. (The main Dept. of Commerce building is at 14th Street NW and Constitution Avenue in the District.)
The USPTO had a robust telecommuting policy even before the pandemic. As a result, the PTO has already announced that it will be vacating about one-third of its Carlyle neighborhood office space.
“Underutilized office space has financial and environmental costs. Federal agencies spend about $2 billion a year to operate and maintain federal office buildings regardless of the buildings' utilization. In addition, agencies spend about $5 billion annually to lease office buildings. Any reduction in office space could reduce these costs.”
In addition, vacant office space can affect the businesses in the office’s neighborhood. It can especially hurt restaurants that rely on business meetings and workers, and coffee shops that rely on tired commuters.
