The FBI has abandoned plans to build its new Southern California headquarters in Westwood due to increasing community opposition.
The project proposed construction of two new buildings at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue, possibly resulting in the destruction of the existing Federal Building.
But the General Services Administration ““ a branch of the government responsible for contracts and acquisitions ““ has announced it will seek alternative sites for the new FBI headquarters.
The GSA decided to find a new site after facing much opposition, including from Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“Due to insurmountable neighborhood pressure and Senator Feinstein’s recommendation, the FBI has chosen to relocate,” GSA spokeswoman Gene Gibson said.
Westside community members and the Coalition for Veterans’ Land expressed opposition for the project to Feinstein, who then helped convince the FBI to consider alternative locations for the headquarters, Laura Lake, president of the coalition, said.
Increased traffic, security risk and air-quality issues in the area were among the reasons for opposition, she has said.
The coalition is also concerned about protecting all veterans’ land in the area, and the destruction of the Federal Building would risk veteran control of the land, Lake said.
Feinstein wrote a letter in support of the coalition, encouraging the FBI and GSA to explore other locations for the project, Lake said.
Feinstein’s letter helped convince the FBI to relocate the proposed site.
“The FBI and GSA announced (last week) they will not go forward with expanding 11000 Wilshire and explore alternative sites for the FBI’s headquarters,” Trevor Daley, district director of Feinstein’s office, wrote in a letter to the Westside community.
Lake said the members of the coalition are satisfied with Feinstein’s efforts in halting plans for the project, which would have added up to 900,000 square feet of space to the bustling intersection.
“We really appreciate Senator Feinstein’s weighing in to protect the community and the veterans’ land,” Lake said.
Los Angeles city councilmen Bill Rosendahl and Jack Weiss joined the battle in April, introducing a proposal for the city council to join a lawsuit planned by the coalition.
The councilmen are opposed to the Westwood location of the headquarters, but said they would consent to an alternative Los Angeles location.
“There’s no question that when the FBI gets a new headquarters in Los Angeles, that will also be a great victory for L.A.,” Weiss told the Los Angeles Times. “We’ll locate that building, I hope, in a more central location that makes more sense in terms of law enforcement, access to the rest of government and traffic.”
The GSA assisted the FBI in its quest for a location for the headquarters three years ago when it determined Westwood to be the most practical site for the new headquarters, Gibson said.
And the GSA has also agreed to assist the FBI in its quest to find a new site for the project in an alternative location.
“The FBI came to us and requested that we help it find another area in Southern California,” Gibson said.
Though the coalition fulfilled its goal of convincing the GSA and FBI to relocate the FBI headquarters, it is still not completely satisfied and would like the GSA to go a step further and promise all control of the local land to the veterans, Lake said.
She said the coalition will still fight to stop the federal government from controlling veterans’ land, especially the Federal Building and the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs property.
“We would like to see that the VA land is given back for direct use for veterans,” Lake said. “The community faces potential threat that the GSA will tax or propose to sell the land.”
Lake said the coalition believes the land should be reserved solely for veterans’ use and it will remain unrelenting in its position to protect the veterans’ lands.
“The GSA is acting as though it owns this land, but it doesn’t,” Lake said.