Fairfax County Public Schools has signed a 13-year lease at the Willow Oaks Corporate Center in Merrifield to relocated 500 support staff from the Fairfax Ridge Administration Center, where its lease it set to expire in March 2016.

Moving to a new location also serves to consolidate some administration operations, according to the release, and is meant to improve efficiency. The future rental space is approximately 122,000 square feet, at about $24 per square foot.

Spokesperson for the schools John Torre said the Willow Oaks building owner is paying for the relocation and build-out. With the new lease rate being lower per square-foot than in Fairfax Ridge, the move is “cost neutral,” the release said. The cost per square foot will be one dollar less than the current lease, according to Torre.

Willow Oaks, built in 2002, was chosen for its “adequate contiguous space that allows for potential expansion as FCPS finds it necessary to return some current administrative centers back to school sites, as outlined in the Capital Improvement Program,” as well as “flexible meeting space, ample parking, and a Metro-accessible location.”