On the wall of the Prince George’s County executive office, a clock counts down to the opening of National Harbor, and the zeros can’t come fast enough.
“One hundred and five days, 19 hours, 57 minutes and 19 seconds,” said Jim Keary, spokesman for County Executive Jack Johnson. “The clock’s here on my wall.”
When the time is up April 25, National Harbor will open for business and, Prince George’s officials hope, begin a new era for their county.
The 300-acre — about 230 football fields — development along the Potomac River just south of the District will house five hotels, half a million square feet of retail space, nearly that much condo space and an upscale farmers market. And by the fall of 2009, officials expect 4,000 to 5,000 jobs.
Kwasi Holman, president of the county’s Economic Development Corporation, points to a job fair at the end of the month expected to result in nearly 2,000 jobs at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the development’s cornerstone business.
Holman said Gaylord guaranteed one-third of its hires to come from Prince George’s County.
The Workforce Services Division of the Economic Development Corporation has been preparing for the opening for more than a year. According to Executive Director Patricia White, it has brought together 20 Prince George’s community organizations that work with unemployed residents.
“Since we’ve started recruiting for National Harbor, we’ve been working at capacity,” White said.
Public and private officials are remaining quiet about the development’s retailers until leases are signed. Rocell Viniard, director of marketing for the developer, Peterson Cos., said she expects an announcement by the end of February. “There will be no ‘big box’ stores,” she said, “and there will be several independent shops.”
Touting the county executive’s role in bringing the project together in 2004, his spokesman voiced only one complaint: “The only thing wrong is that it took 20 years for this to happen.”
Working in Prince George’s
Unemployment
» Pr. George’s: 3.7 percent
» Maryland average: 3.5 percent
Household income
» Pr. George’s: $55,129
» Maryland average: $57,019
