Maryland to bid for FBI headquarters

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Officials in Maryland say they are gearing up to propose moving the FBI's headquarters to the state from its current location in Washington, D.C.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking to move out of its 37-year-old headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, in downtown Washington, The Baltimore Sun reported Sunday.

The facade of the building is crumbling off, posing danger to pedestrians; the basement is known to flood. A more pressing issue, agency officials said, is that much of the FBI's staff is scattered over 22 annex buildings throughout the Washington region.

Officials in Maryland say they would be ecstatic to take on the estimated $1.2 billion project of building a complex to house the agency.

"I'm very bullish on this being located in Maryland," said U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. "Maryland is well-situated."

If successful at securing the project, Maryland would land almost 12,000 jobs and a 2.1 million-square-foot office complex in Prince George's County. Site scouting could begin as early as next year.

"It's an outstanding opportunity," said Jayson Knott, deputy director of Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development.

Officials said Prince George's County is a viable option because of the amount of undeveloped, federally owned land available there. They also argue the county is long overdue for such a project.

"There's creative thinking that can help get this project moving," Cardin said. "We think what they need, Maryland is well-suited to deliver."