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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will expand to a new office building at North Bethesda Center, the mixed-use development rising at the White Flint Metrorail station in North Bethesda, the project's developers announced.

The Washington office of LCOR and USAA Real Estate will jointly develop the 14-story, 362,000-square-foot building across Rockville Pike from the NRC's headquarters under a 15-year lease with the General Services Administration. The deal is the largest office lease signing in suburban Maryland this year, according to the developers.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for March, with completion expected by July 2012. About 1,300 NRC employees will occupy the new building, which has been designed by HOK to meet silver certification standards as set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"We're obviously pleased that the GSA selected our site, and are eager to develop a high-tech building that supports the NRC's needs," R. William Hard, executive vice president of LCOR, said in a press release. "We also look forward to building out the rest of North Bethesda Center in support of our joint development agreement with Metro and Montgomery County's plans for the area."

LCOR is master developer of North Bethesda Center, which is being constructed in phases on a 32-acre site halfway between downtown Bethesda and downtown Rockville. The urban-style, pedestrian-friendly development that links all the new buildings to the Metro station is planned to include 930,000 square feet of office space, 202,000 square feet of retail space, four apartment buildings and a hotel. North Bethesda Center is expected to generate about 5,400 jobs.

Phase 1 of North Bethesda Center, which includes Wentworth House apartments and a Harris Teeter supermarket, opened last year.

CBRE Government Services Group represented the joint venture in the lease transaction. Studley represented the GSA.

This report originally appeared in The Business Gazette.