GSA to sell 129 acres of property in Auburn

The bidding will start at $80 million.

By Henry Stewart-Wood • August 19, 2021 2:16 pm
GSA building, as seen from 15th Street Southwest in Auburn on Aug. 13, 2021. The building and 129 acres of property will be sold at auction with a starting bid of $80 million. Photo by Henry Stewart-Wood/Auburn Reporter
GSA building, as seen from 15th Street Southwest in Auburn on Aug. 13, 2021. The building and 129 acres of property will be sold at auction with a starting bid of $80 million. Photo by Henry Stewart-Wood/Auburn Reporter

The U.S. General Service Administration is selling its 129-acre Pacific Point property in Auburn. The property on the corner of 15th Street Southwest and C Street Southwest will be sold at auction beginning Aug. 30 with a starting price of $80 million, according to the GSA.

Pacific Point has been the GSA’s regional headquarters for more than half a century. Social Security and Federal Protective Service staff also work out of offices at Pacific Point. After selling the property, the GSA will relocate to Tacoma in 2022.

The GSA is a federal agency that facilitates basic governmental functions such as providing transportation and office spaces for federal offices and negotiating contracts. The GSA manages around 370 million rentable square feet across the U.S. and oversees $75 billion in contracts every year.

The Pacific Point property currently has around 1 million square feet of space, including two large office buildings, seven warehouses, a daycare building and several smaller buildings.

“We are excited to offer this property for new development after it has served the federal government and its citizens so well for so many years,” said Acting Regional Administrator Chaun Benjamin. “This is a significant milestone to be able to offer this property back to the community to meet its needs.”

The move out of Auburn should have a minimal impact on Auburn residents, Public Affairs Officer Chad Hutson said.

The U.S. Army originally purchased 435 acres of farmland in 1944 and built 20 warehouses for storage during World War II. In 1962, the GSA took over 172 acres of the property including several buildings, and the rest of the land was sold to private developers. In the 1990s, the GSA donated portions of the land to be used by Auburn, including what is now GSA Park.

The sale of the property in Auburn is part of a larger plan to shrink the federal footprint and get rid of underused properties, according to the GSA website.