$80 million or more could land you 129 acres in auction of federal site in Auburn
The long-planned auction of a federal agency site in Auburn is in the works, with bids starting at $80 million.
The U.S. General Services Administration announced in 2020 that its Northwest/Arctic Regional Headquarters would be moving more than 300 workers from Auburn to the Columbia Bank Center, 1301 A St. in Tacoma, along with plans to sell the Auburn complex, 400 15th Street SW.
The 129-acre government complex is being marketed as Pacific Point and will be sold via online auction, set to begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 30.
The auction includes the headquarters, the Social Security Administration building, child care center, all warehouses and ancillary buildings, according to GSA.
The auction will take place online at RealEstateSales.gov. According to GSA, bidders are required to submit a bid registration of $500,000.
The site will be open for tours by appointment only for registered bidders who’ve submitted the refundable registration deposit, with inspection tour dates on Aug. 31, Sept. 1, 15 and 16.
Additional information about the property and the auction can be found online at gsa.gov/PacificPoint.
The site has been the location of the GSA regional headquarters for more than half a century, with the new headquarters setting up shop in Tacoma in “early 2022,” according to a GSA news release.
Pre-pandemic, original plans called for the move to take place this summer.
“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 in the release. “This is a significant milestone to be able to offer this property back to the community to meet its needs.”
The site, originally 435 acres of farmland, was purchased in 1944 by the U.S. Army as the site for 20 dry storage warehouses for World War II.
GSA obtained 177 acres of the site in 1962, with the remaining property sold to developers.
In the 1990s, some parcels were donated to the city for a park and school bus depot, and an additional 8.4 acres were donated to the city for its municipal fire training center, according to GSA.
“The disposal of the Auburn Complex is part of a larger strategy to evaluate underutilized assets and shrink the federal footprint,” GSA said in its release.
