Military Base Closures: Questions Concerning the Proposed Sale of Housing at Mather Air Force Base

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the proposed negotiated sale of 1,271 surplus family housing units at Mather Air Force Base, California, to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), focusing on whether: (1) the Air Force's attempts to obtain competition satisfy requirements of section 203(e)(3)(H) of the Federal Property Act to obtain such competition as is feasible under the circumstances; (2) the disposal at Mather meets the test of a public benefit given that SHRA plans to transfer ownership immediately to a private developer; (3) the Air Force, contrary to General Services Administration (GSA) policy and applicable laws, disclosed the appraised value of the family housing property to prospective purchasers; (4) the Air Force allowed a developer's representatives to participate in negotiations between the Air Force and SHRA; and (5) there is evidence that the property has a higher fair market value than the proposed sale price.