ASU renting more space for its operations in D.C.

Less than a year after Arizona State University debuted a newly renovated building near the White House, the school is adding more space to its Washington, D.C., operations.

ASU’s $35 million renovated historic building, which is a 10-minute walk from the White House, opened in March 2018. But the 32,000-square-foot building apparently wasn’t large enough for the university.

The Arizona Board of Regents on Thursday approved a lease for another 8,400-square-foot space in a nearby building.

The ASU D.C. outpost is located at I Street and 18th Street NW. The leased space is across the street.

The lease will cost the university about $542,000 in the first year of full rent payments, or about $64.50 per square foot. The rent will increase 2.5 percent each year. The lease includes at least 11 months of free rent and allowances for ASU to improve the space.

The lease term will be between 10 to 12 years, with an option to terminate it after the fifth year.

Enrollment in programs at the D.C. building grew faster than expected, ASU said.

The McCain Institute for International Leadership, as well as programs at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, saw growth over the last year, board documents say.

The university doesn’t yet know which programs will move across the street to the newly leased space.

Having a presence in the District created opportunities that need more space, ASU said. For example, the school now has relationships with groups like the National Council for Science and the Environment and New America that require more space, the university said.

The journalism and law schools saw increased student interest at least in part because of the excitement around having a major presence in D.C., ASU said. The law school also received approval from the American Bar Association to offer a full year of law education in the District instead of only one semester, ASU said.

The McCain Institute launched some new initiatives as well, including work on human trafficking and national security. There was also an added campaign called Mavericks Needed, launched after U.S. Sen. John McCain’s death.