CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two weeks after a North Carolina developer announced a plan to build a standalone office building for the FBI on the site of the former Holley Hotel on Quarrier Street, a rival proposal near the corner of Virginia and Clendenin streets has emerged.

Drew Payne, spokesman for Southern Land Co. and Dickinson Properties, said he and Glenmark Holding LLC of Morgantown have submitted plans to the U.S. General Services Administration for a similar project beside the Wendy's restaurant on Virginia Street.

"We formed a partnership with them [Glenmark] to submit on this," Payne said Thursday. "Glenmark would own the building; we'll own the property." Glenmark would enter a longtime lease with the GSA to rent the building exclusively to the FBI.

The project would be built on the site of a former Exxon gas station, which was torn down in 1997, Payne said. The property, which has been remediated, sits behind the Shoney's restaurant on Kanawha Boulevard, he said. The site does not include the former Elk River Town Center Inn property next door, which the family also owns.

Payne said he did not have specifics of the proposed building, which is being planned by Glenmark, but it should be very similar to the one proposed by JDL Castle Corp. for the Holley site. Brice Shearborn of JDL Castle showed Charleston Urban Renewal Authority board members plans for its project on June 10.

The GSA has been considering various proposals for a standalone FBI center to replace the offices the FBI now leases at One Bridge Place. It has been negotiating with developers and is expected to choose one soon.

Nick Colasante, director of development for Glenmark, declined to discuss his company's proposal Thursday, saying the GSA has had tight security restrictions on the process. He referred a reporter to a GSA spokesman in Philadelphia, who could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Glenmark built offices for the Mine Safety and Health Administration near Cheat Lake and has two other GSA buildings under construction, Colasante said. In addition to the FBI center, it is pursuing one other federal project, he said.

At the June 10 meeting, CURA Director Pat Brown said a Michigan firm also had submitted plans for an identical 20,000-square-foot building at the CURA-owned Holley site, but the company's representative failed to attend the meeting. Brown later invited the developer to make a presentation, but he said Thursday the company has not responded.

Also at that meeting, Shearborn of JDL Castle said yet another developer may be proposing to build the FBI center at Northgate Business Park. No one at Northgate could be reached Thursday to discuss the matter.

Payne said he expects the GSA will pick a developer in the next 30 to 45 days. "It was supposed to be done before this. We've been working on this for a year and a half."

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5102.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two weeks after a North Carolina developer announced a plan to build a standalone office building for the FBI on the site of the former Holley Hotel on Quarrier Street, a rival proposal near the corner of Virginia and Clendenin streets has emerged.

Drew Payne, spokesman for Southern Land Co. and Dickinson Properties, said he and Glenmark Holding LLC of Morgantown have submitted plans to the U.S. General Services Administration for a similar project beside the Wendy's restaurant on Virginia Street.

"We formed a partnership with them [Glenmark] to submit on this," Payne said Thursday. "Glenmark would own the building; we'll own the property." Glenmark would enter a longtime lease with the GSA to rent the building exclusively to the FBI.

The project would be built on the site of a former Exxon gas station, which was torn down in 1997, Payne said. The property, which has been remediated, sits behind the Shoney's restaurant on Kanawha Boulevard, he said. The site does not include the former Elk River Town Center Inn property next door, which the family also owns.

Payne said he did not have specifics of the proposed building, which is being planned by Glenmark, but it should be very similar to the one proposed by JDL Castle Corp. for the Holley site. Brice Shearborn of JDL Castle showed Charleston Urban Renewal Authority board members plans for its project on June 10.

The GSA has been considering various proposals for a standalone FBI center to replace the offices the FBI now leases at One Bridge Place. It has been negotiating with developers and is expected to choose one soon.

Nick Colasante, director of development for Glenmark, declined to discuss his company's proposal Thursday, saying the GSA has had tight security restrictions on the process. He referred a reporter to a GSA spokesman in Philadelphia, who could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Glenmark built offices for the Mine Safety and Health Administration near Cheat Lake and has two other GSA buildings under construction, Colasante said. In addition to the FBI center, it is pursuing one other federal project, he said.

At the June 10 meeting, CURA Director Pat Brown said a Michigan firm also had submitted plans for an identical 20,000-square-foot building at the CURA-owned Holley site, but the company's representative failed to attend the meeting. Brown later invited the developer to make a presentation, but he said Thursday the company has not responded.

Also at that meeting, Shearborn of JDL Castle said yet another developer may be proposing to build the FBI center at Northgate Business Park. No one at Northgate could be reached Thursday to discuss the matter.

Payne said he expects the GSA will pick a developer in the next 30 to 45 days. "It was supposed to be done before this. We've been working on this for a year and a half."

Reach Jim Balow at ba...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5102.