MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – What should be the future use of the vacant Federal Building in the heart of Vermont’s Capital? Last week’s news that the GSA plans to unload the building has Montpelier pondering its potential uses. It also raises questions about the glut of other government office space made obsolete by remote work.
The future of the Federal Building in Montpelier is capturing the imagination of the Capital City.
The 1960s-era brutalist architectural style sticks out in the historic downtown. “This era of building is not one that really stood well to the public’s eye, there’s no question about it,” said Gregg Gossens with Burlington firm GBA Architecture & Planning.
He also serves on Montpelier’s Flood Commission. And now that the building could change hands, he hopes the plot of land can be converted into an underground garage with space for retail, housing, and child/elder care above, while also allowing for more flood capacity on the banks of the Winooski River. “There’s a resiliency aspect now that has come before, not just a higher economic use standpoint,” he said.
Discussions over the future of the federal building come as state government continues to grapple with what to do with some of its own buildings, many of which have been fully or partially empty since the pandemic. Four state buildings have been vacant in Montpelier alone since the 2023 floods and others are underutilized.
“What a building was determined for size capacity and occupancy pre-flood based on how we renovate that building will determine what will be the capacity of the building,” said BGS Commissioner Wanda Minoli.
A recent survey among some 5,300 state employees showed that 16.5% telework full-time, 18% telework four days a week, 9.5% telework three days, and 23.2% work one or two days.
Some, including the Vermont State Employees Association, are calling on the state to convert vacant or underutilized space into housing. Minoli says converting offices to housing is easier said than done. “When you look at it and say, ‘There are seven rooms there and a kitchen, that makes sense.’ But it may not be designed for the infrastructure to support the use,” she said.
Whether it’s the Federal Building or state space, Gossens hopes Montpelier can work with officials to meet the community’s needs. “There’s no shortage of things we can do, it’s just about having the wherewithal to do it,” he said.
Whatever the outcome, local leaders hope that the process of developing the former federal building doesn’t drag on in the same way it did to set up a replacement post office.