State Department

Decision to Retain Embassy Parking Lot in Paris, France, Should Be Revisited Gao ID: GAO-01-477 April 13, 2001

The U.S. government owns a 0.4-acre lot adjoining the U.S. ambassador's residence in a prime location in Paris, France. In 1998, the State Department's Office of the Inspector General reported that the property was underused and that using this high-value property was not economically justified. GAO found that State's decision in February 2000 to continue using the lot for parking was not based on a full consideration of security needs, secure parking alternatives, and the merits of selling the property. French authorities have indicated that the property is valuable and marketable. At a time when the State Department has billions of dollars of security construction and maintenance needs at its embassies and consulates around the world, the sale of the parking lot in Paris, France, should receive serious consideration if State can arrange alternative, cost-effective, and secure parking for official vehicles and if a purchaser would pay $10 million for the lot.

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