OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Introduction of A Bill to Direct the Administrator of General Services to Sell the Property Known As the Webster School

Floor Speech

Date: July 17, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to direct the General Services Administration (GSA) to sell the federal property known as the Daniel Webster School, which is located in the District of Columbia, for fair market value by December 31, 2025. I am grateful that Representative Scott Perry, the Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, joins me in introducing this common-sense legislation.

Built in 1882, the Daniel Webster School, a red-brick, 3-story building, has been used for a variety of purposes over the years. However, since the 1980s, the building, which is located in downtown, has been vacant and fallen into disrepair. This bill will return it to productive use.

During my service in Congress, I have worked to transfer unused or underused federal land in D.C. to D.C. or the private sector to redevelop neighborhoods and to generate tax revenue for D.C. I passed 2 bills that enabled the transformation of the Southeast and Southwest waterfronts into thriving, mixed-use neighborhoods known today as The Yards and The Wharf, respectively. I passed a bill to transfer Reservation 13, which is in Hill East, and Poplar Point to D.C. I passed a bill that required the redevelopment of the Old Post Office, which is now a hotel. I successfully fought to ensure that at least 67 acres of the 110-acre Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus would go to D.C. for redevelopment. I also successfully worked to bring federal agencies to NoMa, which spurred billions of dollars in mixed-use development.

The sale provision in this bill is the same as the sale provision in the bill enacted in 2016 that directed GSA to sell the federal property in D.C. known as the Cotton Annex, which is now being converted into housing.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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