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Prince George's officials are still fine-tuning the boundaries of a zone near Andrews Air Force Base that will receive part of a $5 million stipend to improve transportation and encourage commercial and residential development, as the area prepares for the influx of nearly 3,000 employees by September 2011 under the Base Realignment and Closure process.

It remains unclear what projects in the designated BRAC zone will be completed in 2009, said Wanda Plumer, a spokeswoman for the county's Economic Development Corp.

On Dec. 15, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who heads the state's BRAC subcabinet, approved five BRAC zones statewide - an area in Laurel that includes the Laurel Commons mall redevelopment and the planned Hawthorne Place; the Westport Waterfront development in Baltimore City; an area near the MARC Odenton Station in Anne Arundel County; an area in historic Frederick near the Frederick Transit Center and the 655-acre area near Andrews Air Force Base and the Branch Avenue Metro Station in southern Prince George's County.

According to a BRAC progress report released by the subcabinet Dec. 23, 2,700 government employees will be transferred to Andrews Air Force Base, including employees of the Aerial Port Squadron from the Martin State Air Guard Station in Baltimore and Air Force and Air National Guardsmen from Arlington, Va.

Calls to Andrews Air Force Base were not returned by press time.

Current plans for the zone include an arts district along Allentown Way in Temple Hills and 1,200 luxury apartments at The Town Center at Camp Springs, across from the Branch Avenue Metro station.

Zoning for an arts district in Temple Hills still needs to be written and approved, Plumer said, adding that she could not guarantee this would be completed in 2009.

"None of these projects are simple," Plumer said. "They involve a lot of different actors, a lot of different programs… and a lot of state regulation that needs to be taken into consideration."

Plumer said the approval of local BRAC zones was an achievement in itself for 2008. The plan submitted by the county's Economic Development Corp. was only tweaked slightly by the state before it was approved.

Planning for road and public transportation improvement looks promising, she said.

According to the report, the Maryland Department of Transportation will target low-cost projects with a short time frame, such as intersection improvements and additional lines of direct transit bus and train service.

Plumer said county officials will meet for the second time, later this month, with state transportation officials to discuss the improvement of highways and local roads surrounding Andrews Air Force Base.

E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.