Prince George's County eyes bigger Enterprise Zone
Camp Springs, Suitland added to boost investment, jobs
An expanded Prince George's County Enterprise Zone could spur $100 million in capital investments and 150 new or retained jobs during the next five years, according to state officials.
Camp Springs and Suitland are the most recent additions to the county's Enterprise Zone, Lt. Gov. Anthony M. Brown announced Monday after meeting with business leaders, government officials and military personnel. Businesses in the state's Enterprise Zones receive a 10-year credit on their state income tax based on new hires and a 10-year credit on their real or business personal property tax based on investment.
"We want to emphasize and focus the need for development in Camp Springs and the surrounding areas," Brown (D) said, speaking at the leasing office of Tribeca, a mixed-use development in Camp Springs.
The expansion is about more than tapping into the business opportunities presented through the Pentagon's shifts from Virginia to Maryland under its Base Realignment and Closure program, he said: It is about tapping into Maryland's continued growth.
Camp Springs and Suitland will join the areas included in the county's proposal for renewing the zone in December. The zone already includes areas along the International Corridor/Gateway Arts District; the Port Towns and Annapolis Road Corridor; the Cabin Branch and Central Avenue area; and the Southern Area, which includes Branch Avenue and Marlboro Pike.
All told, the renewal could result in $20 million in capital investment in the area during each of the next five years and 150 new or retained jobs, according to state information.
"These areas have proven difficult to develop and redevelop in the past," said M.H. Jim Estepp, president and CEO of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, referring to Camp Springs and Suitland. "Suitland has been struggling for a long time."
The incentives associated with the Enterprise Zone will help draw interest to the areas, which he said are sometimes perceived as insular.
"Suitland is a potential economic powerhouse," Estepp said, adding that county officials have been working to change perception.
The county's Enterprise Zone, as a whole, benefits from all the growth at Joint Base Andrews.
"Jobs, jobs, jobs that's what this is all about," said Christian S. Johansson, secretary of the state's Department of Business and Economic Development.
Since the state's Enterprise Zone program began 25 years ago, it has produced nearly $2 billion in capital investment and more than 1,700 jobs, Johansson said. Maryland has 28 Enterprise Zones.
Before Brown's comments, Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of District Heights met with state officials, lawmakers, business leaders and officials of Joint Base Andrews to discuss opportunities in Camp Springs.
Frances Folkee of Land & Commercial in Upper Marlboro used the event to spur interest in the company's Old Branch Crossing Shopping Center in Temple Hills, which is on the market, and learn more about the revitalization efforts in Camp Springs. Several business representatives requested more information about the shopping center, she said.
Representatives of other businesses, such as Crystal Enterprises, a food service operation in Glenn Dale, wanted to hear of potential contract opportunities at Andrews.
"We didn't know the details of the affected area [through the Andrews enhancements] or the kinds of businesses and housing included," said Dwight Custis of Crystal Enterprises. He said the meeting gave his company the information it needs to pursue a contract.
Kwasi G. Holman, executive director of the Prince George's Economic Development Corp., praised the event for informing the public and described it as the "trifecta at Tribeca."