T
he Bonneville Power Administration's headquarters in Portland's Lloyd District could be put up for sale by the federal government. The Trump administration's push to sell off federal office buildings nationwide, including two large ones in Portland, appears to still be ongoing.

    A revised list of "non-core" federal properties is being prepared, according to a General Services Administration spokesperson. The agency will republish the list after evaluating initial input and making it easier for stakeholders to understand the assets listed.

    The local federal buildings initially intended for sale include the Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in downtown Portland and the Bonneville Power Administration's headquarters in the Lloyd District. A glut of office space in Portland makes selling these buildings a challenging prospect, with approximately 10.5 million square feet of vacant office space.

    Greg Goodman, co-president of Downtown Development Group, notes that Portland has about a 25-year supply of vacant office space. If the federal government wants to dispose of office space, waiting may not make sense, as the market is weak and could be flooded with unneeded inventory.

    Investors are skeptical that a major federal office sell-off will come to pass, citing the "flight to quality" where new, Class-A office buildings perform better than older peers. Some law firms and professional services firms have committed to downtown office space, but the market remains far from its pre-pandemic peak.

    Menashe Properties doubled down on urban office space when it purchased the Montgomery Park building for $33 million in August 2024. Jordan Menashe, the firm's CEO, doesn't expect President Donald Trump to purge government office space due to potential pain inflicted on the market.

    The GSA's website states that selling non-core properties ensures taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows reinvestment in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.

    Some commentators have noted that the Trump administration's push to sell off federal buildings comes at the same time as ordering workers back to the office, which may be contradictory. The Office of Personnel Management told federal workers they will need to return to their physical offices five days a week, matching comments from President Trump.