Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Angela Alsobrooks took the stage in a ballroom at a College Park, Maryland, hotel on Wednesday, speaking for nearly 30 minutes about how much money had poured into the county over the last year 鈥� about what one would expect in the annual speech, dubbed the “State of the Economy.”
It was a chance to brag to the local business community about the “over $1 billion of investments along our Blue Line corridor,鈥� as well as how the 鈥渞edevelopment at Cheverly unlocks a billion dollars in private investment,鈥� after the old Prince George鈥檚 Hospital Center is demolished over the coming months.
The county hopes to see significant amounts of work on that project conducted by small, minority-owned businesses based in the county, which would have the opportunity to buy into the project and share some of the profits in the future.
鈥淓verything we鈥檝e done on economic development also has an eye toward equity,鈥� Alsobrooks said after the speech. With that project, contractors would be able to buy into the redevelopment with their work and claim partial ownership when it鈥檚 all done, rather than just get paid for the work and move on.
Alsobrooks mentioned the county鈥檚 dogged pursuit of the new FBI headquarters, reiterating arguments over equitable investment that are in line with a pair of executive orders by President Joe Biden, while also promising lower building costs than what a site in Springfield, Virginia, would cost.
鈥淥ur administration has focused on eliminating obstacles to prosperity,鈥� she touted, before eventually closing out her speech by promising 鈥渁ll of these investments help make Prince George鈥檚 County more robust, and if we continue to invest, if we continue to turn our ideas into action, our county鈥檚 future will be even brighter.鈥�
After the speech, Alsobrooks lauded efforts to bring state and federal investments into the county over the last year, mentioning one of her favorite projects, the New Carrollton Metro station redevelopment, as a significant project.
But she also said it鈥檚 imperative that the county grow its commercial tax base from what it is now, and not do anything that might stifle investment around the county.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 move back. We can鈥檛 lose momentum. We can鈥檛 begin to pass policies that discourage investment from businesses,鈥� said Alsobrooks. She specifically cited restrictions on townhouse development being considered by the county council, which would limit where new communities could be built.
鈥淭hese are the kind of things that send the wrong signals to investors and who also want to give opportunities for first time home buyers to live in Prince George鈥檚, many of whom select town homes as the entry point to home ownership,鈥� said Alsobrooks.
The legislation is causing major angst in the development community, and because it deals with land use, the county executive鈥檚 office has no veto power over the measure, which is scheduled for a hearing in front of a county council committee on Thursday.
For all the frustration it鈥檚 causing, a source says it doesn鈥檛 appear to have the votes needed to pass the council, even if it gets out of committee.
In the long term, Alsobrooks hopes tax credits for the film industry will bring more TV and film production to Prince George鈥檚 County, as well as tax incentives to bring in more data centers and technology companies.
