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Committee discusses Hastings Keith Federal Building and potential city-hall annex; administration to broaden search
Summary
City officials discussed whether the Hastings Keith Federal Building could become a City Hall annex if the General Services Administration disposes of it; administration said the federal disposal process is multi‑year and the city is pressing the GSA for more engagement with federal agencies.
Councilors asked the City Property Committee and administration to investigate whether the Hastings Keith Federal Building could be obtained as a city hall annex if the General Services Administration (GSA) proceeds with disposal.
Neil Mello, chief of staff to Mayor John Mitchell, described the administration’s recent advocacy on the issue and its engagement with the congressional delegation. He said the GSA notified the city in November 2023 that the building was under consideration for closure and that the federal disposal process is multi‑year and can result in a sale, transfer or exchange.
Mello summarized the administration’s concerns: the GSA’s standard profitability analysis uses local commercial-market rental rates to determine financial performance, which the city argues undervalues public-service utility in smaller markets. Mello said the city and Senator Ed Markey’s office have pressed the GSA for a more robust engagement with federal agencies about local space needs; the administration said GSA had provided limited evidence of outreach to federal agencies with potential regional functions such as NOAA.
On facility specifics, Mello said the building requires HVAC and other capital work but is structurally sound; he reported an assessed value of about $2,400,000 total (roughly $1.8 million for the building), and he estimated the building footprint at roughly 30,000–40,000 square feet with significant off-street parking. Mello said the GSA reported a roughly 25% vacancy rate in the building.
Committee members noted the potential benefit of consolidating scattered city offices (for instance, offices on Hillman Street, at the Quest Center and other leased or city-owned sites) into an annex to reduce maintenance costs and improve efficiency. Mello said one long-term option is to migrate some city departments out of the Quest Center to increase private-sector tenancy there; freeing Quest space could be part of a longer-term facilities plan whether or not the Hastings Keith building becomes available.
Action and next steps - The committee received and placed the written motion on file to investigate the feasibility of obtaining the Hastings Keith Federal Building for a city hall annex. - Councilor Perera later moved that no further action be taken on the original motion at this time and said he would file a broader motion in future focused on a citywide annex search; the committee voted in favor of no further action and the matter was closed for the current meeting.
Clarifying details - Federal process: The GSA disposal process is multi-year and may include sale, transfer or exchange; the city is seeking a more detailed response from the GSA and engagement with federal agencies. - Building condition and value: Administration reported the building needs HVAC work; assessed value reported as approximately $2,400,000 total, with about $1.8 million attributed to the building; estimated size ~30,000–40,000 sq ft; reported vacancy ~25%. - Potential federal tenants discussed: Social Security (current occupant), NOAA, Army Corps, IRS, Coast Guard, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; administration urged the GSA to better document outreach to those agencies.
Outcome: The committee asked the administration to continue advocacy with the GSA and broaden facility-search work; Councilor Perera withdrew the immediate motion in favor of pursuing a broader review of potential annex locations in a future filing.
