The High Cost of San Francisco Rent Claims Another Victim. This Time, It’s the Federal Government.

National Park Service Pacific West Regional Office slated to move to Vancouver, Wash.

Golden Gate Bridge (© Frank Schulenburg)
By Rachel Monahan

The high cost of rent in San Francisco is fueling another move to the Portland area. But this time, it's an office of the federal government pulling up stakes.

A National Park Service office overseeing 60 national park sites across the West is planning to pack up for Vancouver, Wash., San Francisco-based KQED reported Friday.

Moving the Pacific West Regional Office would save the National Park Service nearly $4 million in rent and in lower pay and benefits for workers, KQED reported.

The $2 million annual lease for San Francisco office space ends in 2021, and the office plans to relocate to a vacant building the Park Service already owns at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Lower pay would account for $1.8 million in savings, KQED reported.

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. (NPS)

"We have struggled with recruitment in San Francisco for years due to the high cost of living," wrote Stan Austin, the region's director, in a memo, according to KQED.

The move still requires congressional approval.

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