If the Patent and Trade Office has its way, the agency will move its headquarters to Alexandria, Va., and sign the biggest office lease in the history of the federal government.
The potential move to a location near the King Street metro station would expand the agency's space to roughly 2 million square feet, equal to that of the mammoth Ronald Reagan building in downtown Washington.
PTO's 7,000 employees would relocate from offices scattered in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va., to several buildings at the new site, if the $1.2 billion lease is approved by a U.S. district court.
While Alexandria government officials are excited about the economic effects of PTO's proposed move, citizens's groups are less enthused. Local neighborhood groups and PTO's current landlord are suing the agency on the grounds that the government has failed to properly address the environmental impact of the move.
The case may not be resolved until late this summer or early fall. Even if the move is approved, it could be years until actual office space is constructed, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
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