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ReImagining the Ziggurat: GSA seeks community input in advance of the sale of federal property in Laguna Niguel, CA

Logo with text Reimagining the Ziggurat and an abstract partial view illustration of a tiered building

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. — In preparation for a public sale, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking local community and stakeholder input on potential future uses for the site of the Chet Holifield Federal Building in Laguna Niguel, Calif. GSA has partnered with Griffin Enright Architects (GEA) to facilitate a series of interactive, virtual community workshops to solicit, consider and document community feedback. Over the course of four workshops, GEA will lead stakeholders in developing and refining a series of preferred concepts for the site, considering preservation, demolition for new construction, and everything in between.

Interested parties are encouraged to attend a kick-off meeting for the project on October 20 at 11 a.m. PDT, and the series of interactive workshops that follow. See details and links to register below.

  • Kick-Off Meeting: Building and Site Orientation
    Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PDT. Register here.

  • Workshop #1: Preliminary Research
    Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PDT. Register here.

  • Workshop #2: Preliminary Concepts Presentation and Feedback
    Thursday, November 4, 2021, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PDT. Register here.

  • Workshop #3: Concept Refinement and Feedback
    Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PST. Register here.

  • Workshop #4: Final Concepts and Feedback
    Thursday, December 2, 2021, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PST. Register here.

Project Information:
GSA is preparing to sell the Chet Holifield Federal Building and its associated real estate in Laguna Niguel. The Public Buildings Reform Board, an independent agency created by the Federal Assets Sale & Transfer Act of 2016, identified this property as an opportunity for the federal government to significantly reduce its real estate inventory and thereby reduce costs.

The Chet Holifield Federal Building, also known as the “Ziggurat”, is a seven-story, 1,054,233-square-foot (gross) office building situated on 89 acres in the heart of Laguna Niguel. The property includes 4,777 parking spaces, services support and security buildings, recreational and landscaped areas, and non-contiguous utility parcels including a water reservoir building, cooling tower, and thermal energy storage tank. It is also the site of a large 3,840-cell photovoltaic system that produces 914 kilowatts of electricity annually to support building operations.

Due to its unique ziggurat design, the property is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. GSA is in the process of determining what effect the disposal will have on the historic property in accordance with Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

GSA is committed to supporting local community goals and is seeking input from community stakeholders as it identifies potential future concepts for this unique property. GSA does not intend to identify a single preferred development concept, only to identify several development concepts which have been informed by community engagement and that are also financially feasible for private development. The information generated through this process is considered pre-decisional by GSA and may be used as a tool to understand the effects to the historic property and as part of GSA’s compliance with Section 106 of NHPA.

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Last updated: Mar 8, 2023
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