From Kevin Wheeler – FBI Columbia Public Affairs Officer: In late January the FBI announced that construction is progressing on a new Federal Bureau of Investigation facility near downtown Lexington. Officials with the FBI and Town of Lexington broke ground on the 10-acre facility in October 2020. The new facility is scheduled to be complete in summer 2023. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will also take place during that time.

“What a compliment to have the premier law enforcement agency in the nation choose the Town of Lexington as their state headquarters,” said Town of Lexington Mayor Steve MacDougall. “After the opening of this facility, this will put every major law enforcement agency: City, County, State, and now Federal in our Town on a daily basis. This speaks volumes to the safety of our community.”

The facility will be home to the FBI Columbia field office headquarters, which is separated into three buildings in and around the Columbia Metro area. Both special agents and professional staff from those offices will be combined under one roof upon the building’s completion. In addition, there are eight satellite offices across the state called resident agencies, which will remain in place to allow for coverage across the state.

The largest current building in Columbia, located at 151 Westpark Boulevard, has been leased since 1998.

Once the FBI moves into the new Lexington location, it will be leased for at least 20 years. The lease agreement is managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).

“We are very excited about our new facility in Lexington,” said FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge, Susan Ferensic. “We are looking forward to the expanded space and the technological advances that will be available.”