Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 30, 2007

Metro Re-Opens Sale of Southeast Bus Garage

Metro has re-opened the bidding process for the sale of its Southeast Bus Garage and employee parking lot for 30 days and will be accepting sealed bids until August 28.

Metro advertised the sale of the Southeast Bus Garage properties on June 11 and bids were accepted until July 23. The District of Columbia requested Metro sell the land to the city but later D.C. officials decided to withdraw the request.

“The District of Columbia withdrew the proposal to buy the property which may have dissuaded interested developers to send their bids,” said Metro’s Assistant General Manger for Planning and Development Nat Bottigheimer. “We want to give everyone the opportunity to participate in this process and get the best proposal for developing the property,” he added.

The two properties at 17 M Street in southeast Washington are just one block from the new Washington Nationals ballpark and adjacent to the Navy Yard Metro station. The parcels are 69,607 and 27,558 square feet and are separated by Van Street. A one-story brick industrial building, which houses 114 buses and was built in 1936, sits on the larger piece of land. Metro is asking at least $60 million for the two properties.

Transit agency officials hope to build a larger, modern bus garage and police training facility on 16.5 acres of land at the D.C. Village in southwest Washington. Proceeds from the garage and lot sale would be used to build another bus facility.

News release issued at 12:00 am, July 30, 2007.