The planned departure of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from the big windowless white building at First and M remains on track, with a groundbreaking held yesterday at Ft. Belvoir for their new home at the Engineer Proving Ground. Under the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Act, NGA's various facilities around the DC area must be relocated to Ft. Belvoir by Sept. 15, 2011; NGA's FAQ on the move says that they expect to begin closing their existing sites in Near Southeast, Bethesda, and Reston in late 2010. Once they are out of First and M, that site will be redeveloped as part of The Yards, most likely as an office building that presumably won't get you sent to Guantanamo if you try to take pictures of it.

It was reported in Wednesday's Post that a contract has been awarded to build at Ft. Belvoir the new home of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the super-secret, don't-even-think-of-pointing-that-camera-at-this-building agency that currently occupies the windowless white box at First and M. As part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plan, NGA must be moved to Ft. Belvoir by Sept. 15, 2011; and they actually have pretty detailed page about the move on their web site, if you want to know more. It estimates that workers at what's known as Building 213 at The Yards/Southeast Federal Center would be moving in late 2010 and 2011. Once they're gone, that very valuable lot at First and M would be redeveloped as office space as part of the later phases of construction at The Yards, presumably without the high fences and gun-toting guards.