Loudoun County saw its fair share of hardships during the Great Recession. Now with Metro Rail’s Silver Line on the way, officials are looking to make 2013 a year for big real estate deals. This week the County’s Department of Economic Development submitted eight sites, at the request of the General Services Administration, as potential locations for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new headquarters. The FBI has been searching for a new home for the past year and sources have indicated that it is coming down to Fairfax County or Loudoun. All of the sites that the Department of Economic Development submitted are along the proposed Silver Line corridor which would make it easy for commuters to access.

Additionally, Greenfield Partners has asked the Loudoun Planning Commission if they can accelerate the development of their 3.5 million square-foot mixed-use project at the southern portion of Route 28 called Dulles World. The project will consist of office, a hotel, retail, and multi-family units. Greenfield indicated in a meeting this week that its initial plans are not feasible in the current market which is why they are asking for an accelerated timeline. The company hopes to start developing the residential portion of the project much earlier so that the office portion will be more attractive to potential commercial tenants. The Planning Commission is set to vote on the change next week. Stay tuned to the Virginia Real Estate Blog as we learn more.