U.S. Geological Survey to Stay in Menlo Park; Rent Lowered

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced Monday that the U.S. Geological Survey would be allowed to keep its western regional headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., despite skyrocketing costs.

The government scientific agency, which in August was told to find a cheaper home, said Monday that instead a new, 10-year deal had been struck for its existing site that would help cut millions of dollars in rent payments.

“USGS’ strong foundation in Menlo Park remains unshaken,” said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Atherton), who along with other Northern California representatives lobbied hard to keep the agency in the area.

The USGS, which researches earthquakes and volcanoes, among other things, has about 765 employees at its western regional headquarters in Menlo Park, 40 miles south of San Francisco, where it occupies a 16-acre campus.

The facility, which administers nine states and has an annual budget of $85 million, is in the heart of the Silicon Valley, where real estate prices and rents are soaring.

The original relocation order caused consternation at the USGS, where officials spoke of a possible “brain drain” of workers unwilling to move out of the San Francisco Bay Area.