A federal agency that supports science and engineering signed a deal to relocate within Alexandria, Virginia, allowing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to eventually take over what had been its headquarters space.
The U.S. National Science Foundation executed a lease last year for new offices at 401 Dulany St. That made room for HUD to soon move about 2,700 employees to the space NSF had called home at 2415 Eisenhower Ave.
When HUD announced last summer that it planned to exit its longtime location in Washington, the General Services Administration — the federal real estate management agency — had not yet secured a replacement location for NSF. That placed at least 1,600 federal NSF jobs at risk and threatened a cornerstone of stability in Alexandria's economy.
The quick navigation of the complex world of federal government leasing, combined with a decision that benefited a Northern Virginia community's economic ecosystem, earned the deal the 2026 CoStar Impact Award for lease of the year in the Washington, D.C., area, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
At a time when the federal office portfolio is under scrutiny, and competition among jurisdictions is intensifying, this transaction stands out as a model of strategic problem-solving, public-private collaboration and mission-driven real estate execution, according to the submission team.
About the lease: NSF's new lease encompasses 396,788 square feet between the lower level and the 10th floor at 401 Dulany, according to the deal's Impact Award submission team. LCOR owns the property, which is located on the same campus as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters.
What the judges said: "This project exemplifies the effectiveness of swift, unwavering, and innovative thinking resulting in the preservation of a major employment anchor and efficient use of vacant office space amidst unprecedented challenges," said Ashley Labadie, a planning and economic development senior manager with the National Landing Business Improvement District, in a statement.
They made it happen: Darian LeBlanc, Scott Killie, Stephanie Heffernan and Scott Johnston of Cushman & Wakefield's Government Services Group represented ownership in the lease.