The General Services Administration (GSA) will start its online eBay-style auction Jan. 18 for the Georgetown West Heating Plant.

Interested parties must submit a registration deposit of $500,000, which is also the starting bid.

The auction closes at 5 p.m. Feb. 19, though GSA reserves the right to a possible auction extension.

The West Heating Plant, a 20,000 square-foot building on a 2-acre lot, is a surplus federal property on 29th Street, just north of K Street, NW in Georgetown.

For almost a year the GSA has been in the process of disposing of the property, which is one of the biggest swaths of land left for large development in Georgetown. The building offers expansive views of the Potomac, the monuments, downtown and of Georgetown itself.

Friday, the GSA posted its Environmental Assessment online to allow for public review and comment on the disposition's potential impact on the community. The auction date was set to fall just after the mandatory 30-day comment period.