Earlier this summer, Cary residents and town officials successfully fought a proposal to place the office and short-term detention facility in a vacant grocery store in western Cary.

The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, now plans to look in parts of Apex,Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Raleigh, Morrisville and Garner for a location for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

The federal government is stepping gingerly as it seeks to avoid the public uproar that scuttled the process in July.

On Aug. 29, the GSA wrote to elected officials in affected areas, laying out a large swath where the facility could land and asking for advice on potential sites.

It also warned that the facility would be ill-suited for central business districts and tourist areas because it could "potentially create a danger to the civilian population."

Much of the original controversy was about a proposed site's proximity to a residential neighborhood and the fact that the GSA did not tell local governments about its plans.

News of the project surfaced with an anonymous flier as a scheduled decision on the project approached.

Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said the federal government has been more forthcoming this time around.

"We made very clear last time that unless you want to create a riot, you better change the way you're doing it," Weinbrecht said. "They're willing to work with us."

GSA treading lightly

This time the GSA will use the municipalities' advice to work out the boundaries of its search. Then it will ask developers to propose different locations, preferably existing buildings. Those bids remain secret until the administration makes a final decision.

"There's a certain point where ... the integrity of the process dictates that you don't discuss bids," said Gregory Andrews, a GSA spokesman.

Plans for the building have changed significantly since the federal government canceled its first attempt to find a spot in July.

The GSA now is searching for about 20,000 square feet of office space, only half the size of its earlier request. And the search area is newly expanded. Before, it included only Cary, Morrisville and Raleigh.

The administration's search area so far is bound on the west by N.C. 55 and on the east by U.S. 401 and U.S. 70. Its northern tip is Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and its southern end is the intersection of U.S. 401 and N.C. 55 in Fuquay-Varina.

Mayors' takes

Local mayors and their staffs have had mixed reactions to the new proposal.

Town managers for Holly Springs and Apex said their towns don't have a site that meets the GSA's needs.

"Since we know there's not a facility in which there's 19,000 square feet of office space, the likelihood is small," said Apex manager Bruce Radford.

The only possible buildings in Apex already house stores, he said.

"We would certainly not be in favor of it being placed inside of an existing commercial building," Radford said.

In Morrisville, town manager John Whitson said that the Perimeter Park office and industrial area may be suitable.

The town of Cary, meanwhile, will keep a close eye on the proceedings but won't suggest sites within its borders.

Raleigh's economic development director, James Sauls, is searching for potential sites that he'll present to the city council.

Fuquay-Varina's mayor and manager were not available for comment.