New Leahy Bill Would Shift NewFederal Buildings AWAY FROM Undeveloped Land And TO Established Central Business Districts

November 03, 1999

Senator Patrick Leahy is moving forward with legislation that would make the federal government a leader in the effort to curb sprawl. Leahy's "Downtown Equity Act," introduced Tuesday, changes siting decisions for new federal buildings by giving top priority to using existing vacant buildings -- or new construction, if necessary -- in downtown areas in both urban and rural areas. He drew on recent examples of federal siting decisions in Burlington and St. Albans in drafting the new policy, which would be administered by the General Services Administration, the federal government's property manager and landlord.

The bill will strengthen town and city centers and support historic patterns of economic development. Leahy's bill has been endorsed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is cosponsored by Senator Max Baucus, the top Democratic member of the Senate Public Works and Environment Committee, which sets policy for federal buildings and installations.

[LOCAL CONTACT: Brian Dunkiel, Friends of the Earth, 802-951-9094] Brian Dunkiel, staff attorney for Friends of the Earth in Burlington, Vt., said: "This bill is a good start to ensure that the federal government will be part of the solution to control sprawl-style development. Too often, decisions to locate federal facilities have contributed to sprawl. This bill goes right to the heart of those decisions and begins the process to ensure that building a new federal facility in downtown receives appropriate comparison with a proposal to pave open space."