Ogden, UTAH — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced plans to dispose of more than 440 federal properties nationwide, including three key buildings in Utah. The properties, deemed “noncore” to government operations, are slated for sale or other forms of disposal in an effort to reduce federal spending and improve efficiency.
Among the buildings on the list are the IRS Service Center in Ogden, the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City, and the St. George Federal Building. These structures, collectively occupying over 830,000 square feet, are part of the GSA’s broader initiative to divest from underutilized properties.
The Ogden IRS Service Center, located at 1160 W. 12th St., is the largest of the three Utah buildings, spanning 493,219 square feet. It is situated on 40.6 acres of land at the northeast corner of West 12th Street and 1200 West, where Ogden meets Marriott-Slaterville. The center is one of several IRS facilities in the area. Another notable building on the list is the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, located at 125 S. State in Salt Lake City, which once housed over 600 federal employees from 24 agencies. The building has long been a fixture in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, offering 327,776 square feet of office space.
The St. George Federal Building, which measures 9,885 square feet, serves as the base for the U.S. Forest Service Pine Valley Ranger District and the Southern Paiute Agency, among others.
According to the GSA, decades of funding deficiencies have caused many of these buildings to become “functionally obsolete” and no longer suitable for federal use. A statement from the agency explained, “We can no longer hope that funding will emerge to resolve these long-standing issues. GSA’s decisive action to dispose of noncore assets leverages the private sector, drives improvements for our agency customers, and best serves local communities.”
The decision to dispose of these properties is part of a broader push to streamline the federal government’s real estate holdings and allocate resources more efficiently. The GSA has emphasized that this move will allow the agency to reinvest in high-quality work environments that better support the missions of various federal agencies. These properties, while no longer deemed essential, will not be sold if they are deemed “core” to government operations, such as courthouses, ports of entry, and defense-related facilities.
The list of properties is still subject to change, and officials have not yet provided a timeline for action. However, it is expected that federal agencies currently operating out of these buildings will be relocated. For instance, when the GSA announced last December that it planned to sell the James V. Hansen Federal Building in Ogden, a spokesman confirmed that employees would be relocated to other facilities in the city.
Local officials have expressed concern over the potential impact of these disposals. The Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office declined to comment, stating it was still reviewing the implications of the move. Similarly, Ogden officials have yet to respond to queries regarding the effects of the planned closures on their community.
In total, the disposal of these 440 properties represents more than $8.3 billion in “recapitalization needs” across the federal government. This move comes as part of a larger effort to reduce government spending, which has also involved a reduction in the federal workforce under the administration of President Donald Trump. However, the GSA’s recent announcement made no mention of any specific cuts to personnel.
The future of these properties will be determined through a process of “market research,” with the GSA planning to solicit feedback on possible disposition strategies.
As the federal government looks to downsize its footprint, local communities may feel the ripple effects of these closures, but the GSA insists that the ultimate goal is to create a more efficient and sustainable government operation.