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After Camp Springs residents argued that their town should be included in Prince George's County's proposal for state money to help roads, schools and other infrastructure keep pace with thousands of jobs slated from the upcoming military base reorganization, the county Planning Board presented a revised proposal Tuesday to Maryland's lieutenant governor that includes Camp Springs.
The statewide Base Realignment and Closure process, or BRAC, will relocate 2,700 government employees from Washington, D.C., and Virginia to areas surrounding Andrews Air Force Base and other Maryland military bases in the next 10 years.
On Tuesday, county officials, Planning Board members, and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who also heads the state's BRAC commission, met to tour areas surrounding Andrews Air Force Base.
Andrews Air Force Base is surrounded by Branch Avenue to the west, Allentown Road and Suitland Parkway to the north, Woodyard Road to the east and Old Alexandria Ferry Road to the south.
Under Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) BRAC Community Enhancement Act, areas near military bases gaining jobs from the BRAC process may be designated as Community Enhancement Revitalization and Incentive Zones. The state has allocated $5 million total for BRAC-related money to the zones under the act, and state officials will announce the selected zones and their total funding amounts Dec. 15.
In October, the zone detailed in the proposal included areas northwest of Andrews Air Force Base to the Branch Avenue Metro station, north of the base surrounding I-495 and northeast of the base surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue — and now includes Camp Springs.
In an interview after Tuesday's press conference, Wanda Plumer, a spokeswoman for the county's Economic Development Corporation, said, "There wasn't any deliberate effort not to include Camp Springs," in the original proposal.
County Councilman Tony Knotts (D- Dist. 8) of Temple Hills said the addition of Camp Springs is based solely on the efforts of individual residents who voiced their opinions to the Planning Board at a public hearing Oct. 1.
Knotts said he was particularly excited about the addition of an arts district along Allentown Way in Temple Hills, which has many small businesses and unique stores.
Plumer and Knotts agreed they would like to model the project after Arts District Hyattsville, which will feature row homes, condos, commercial and office space and should be completed in early 2009.
The strip along Allentown Way is not currently zoned to be an arts district, which is something the Planning Board will need to apply to the state for, Plumer said.
Brown was on hand to tour the area to get a better understanding of the BRAC proposal submitted in October by the county Planning Board.
In May 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense announced 33 major military bases will be closed and staff and offices moved among 29 others by September 2011.
Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, Fort Detrick in Frederick County and Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County are also expected to get new military and civilian jobs.
Brown will visit all of the counties that submitted a proposal to assess their needs for funding, he said.
Fort Meade is expected to gain 5,700 jobs over the next few years, and Aberdeen Proving Ground is expected to gain as many as 9,000 additional jobs through BRAC.
Brown said he doesn't believe the economy will hasten the county's plans for redevelopment.
"BRAC becomes that much more of a shining light in Maryland," Brown said, adding that BRAC should encourage developers to get involved in profitable projects near public transportation, such as the Branch Avenue Metro station.
E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.
