The city of Des Moines beat out Kent, Renton, SeaTac and other cities for the new Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Northwest Mountain Region offices.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) on Wednesday issued a notice of intent to award a lease to the Des Moines Creek Business Park Phase II c/o Panattoni Development Co., Inc., for a new facility at the corner of South 216th Street and 24th Avenue South, according to a GSA media release from Sally Mayberry, GSA regional public affairs officer.

GSA initially announced a March 30 date for a decision to pick a site for a 300,000-square-foot facility to handle about 1,600 employees. Kent wanted the regional office facility to be built where the city-owned Riverbend Golf Complex’s par 3 course now sits.

The FAA currently occupies about 360,000-square-feet in several different leased locations in Renton. Renton city officials put in a bid to keep the FAA in town.

“We’re disappointed that the FAA will be moving to a new location,” Renton Mayor Denis Law said in an email. “On a positive note, Renton has seen tremendous growth of new companies locating here, including the recent announcement by Group Health that will be building a 250,000 sq ft facility for an estimated 1,500 employees.

“We will continue to work hard in recruiting new businesses to our community that will increase the number and diversity of our local workforce,” he said.

The new offices are scheduled to open in August 2017.

“The intended awardee met the requirements of the request for lease proposals and providing the best overall value to the taxpayers,” according to the GSA. “GSA is working to finalize the contract as soon as possible. Once the lease is signed it will allow the agency to consolidate its workforce in the Northwest Mountain Region in one facility to better deliver their mission to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.”