The National Park Service submitted a proposal to transfer control of the D.C. Armory, the longtime hub of the D.C. National Guard, to the district’s government.
Within the Interior Department, the federal agency is asking the National Capital Planning Commission to transfer “administrative jurisdiction” to Washington, D.C., while the U.S. government retains title to the property. The move was revealed in documents released by the planning commission on Monday.
The 9.4-acre armory is located near the site where the new Washington Commanders stadium is being developed. The football stadium is expected to be surrounded by a 180-acre commercial and residential development in the city’s Hill East neighborhood.
The massive redevelopment plan, championed by outgoing Mayor Muriel Bowser, leaves less room for the National Guard to operate out of the armory.
The D.C. National Guard is reportedly preparing to move its headquarters to an 80-acre parcel of land at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in the northwestern part of the district, according to DC News Now. No final decision on the relocation has been made yet.
It remains to be seen what will happen to the D.C. Armory if the National Park Service’s transfer proposal is approved. The action will be considered at the National Capital Planning Commission’s next monthly meeting on Sept. 3.
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Since July 1941, the D.C. National Guard has used the armory as its primary headquarters, training center, and drill facility.
National Guard units from numerous states have maintained a heavy presence in the nation’s capital for just over a year, and they will continue to stay through the rest of President Donald Trump’s second term until the next president is inaugurated in January 2029.