Image courtesy of NSF
NSF building in Alexandria
The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced Wednesday that it would be moving into the current headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Alexandria, at 2415 Eisenhower Ave.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Manager James Parajon attended a press event led by HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and General Services Administration (GSA) Public Building Service Commissioner Michael Peters to learn more details about the decision and its impact on Alexandria.
The City noted in a press release that "Alexandria is a premier city to live, work, visit and do business, and it is a place where businesses choose to locate because we collaborate, deliver results, and build for the future. It is that spirit of collaboration that originally brought the National Science Foundation to Alexandria in 2017. In a region where federal, state, and local responsibilities intersect daily, collaboration and coordination are essential.
"We welcome HUD, the first cabinet-level agency to locate in Alexandria, its 2,700 employees, and its vital mission to our community. And we are committed to making sure that the National Science Foundation, its workers, and its vital mission continue to make their home in Alexandria."
It's unclear whether NSF would move or remain in Alexandria. In response to the announcement, NSF employees, who number 1,800, protested the move, NBC-4 reported:
"Dozens of National Science Foundation employees crowded the agency's headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday to protest the news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, would move into the building — and boot out more than 1,800 NSF employees.
Before the officials' planned news conference at NSF, foundation employees gathered and shouted, "We won't go!" and "N-S-F." Then, the news conference was abruptly relocated to a more private space in the building.
"This is bullshit," one NSF employee told News4 when asked about the plan for HUD to move into the building. She did not want to share her name out of fear of retaliation."
