REPORT: 2 San Francisco Office Buildings On DOGE Chopping Block
As part of President Donald Trump’s mandate to cut down federal office space, two of San Francisco’s most noteworthy federal office buildings are reportedly being considered for sale, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, citing an internal General Services Administration document.
Both the 640K SF Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building at 90 Seventh St. and the 360K SF GSA regional headquarters at 50 United Nations Plaza were classified as “non-core” according to an internal GSA document presented to the Chronicle, leading to speculation that the two properties are on the shortlist to be sold.
The General Services Administration owns and manages a nationwide real estate portfolio of 363M SF in 8,397 buildings nationwide, according to the agency’s website. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are determined to shrink that footprint.
The Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building not only houses office space for Pelosi but also is home to GSA segments such as the Department of Transportation, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture.
The 18-story tower was initially seen as a boost for the neighborhood when it opened in 2007 with modern architecture and sustainable features. However, in recent years, its plaza has come to symbolize downtown decline and HHS workers were told to work from home in 2023 due to safety concerns, the Chronicle reported.
The 50 United Nations Plaza building, constructed in 1936 and renovated in 2013, serves as the GSA’s headquarters for the Pacific Rim Region.
During a recent public meeting of the Public Buildings Reform Board, the agency advising the GSA on the buildings it should sell, Michael Peters, commissioner of Public Buildings Service within the GSA, said the plan was to eliminate as much as half of the GSA’s total portfolio, according to the Federal News Network.
“I’m just getting ramped up, but I think our initial review says that number could be up to a 50% reduction on our square footage across the portfolio,” he said at the meeting. “We’re not going to do that in six months, but we’re going to try to do this as rapidly as we can.”
Earlier this month, regional managers for the GSA were told to prepare a strategy for ending leases on approximately 7,500 federal offices nationwide, according to the Associated Press, based on an internal GSA email that was shared with the organization.
For instance, a 120K SF lease for the Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta was recently terminated, Bisnow reported Monday.
“GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization,” a spokesperson told Bisnow by email Thursday. “GSA is actively working with our tenant agencies to assess their space needs and fully optimize the federal footprint, and we’ll share more information on specific savings and facilities as soon as we’re able.”
A spokesperson for the GSA told the Chronicle that while speculation about what properties the GSA is looking to sell as part of the DOGE directive is rampant, the agency is not ready to confirm any buildings at this time.
