The proposed new headquarters for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at St. Elizabeths West Campus could bring 14,000 workers through Anacostia every day, sparking the development of stores, restaurants and entertainment venues and pouring money into D.C.’s poorest ward.

Or it could enclose those employees in a high-security, walled enclave and give them little incentive to leave it, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton said at a congressional hearing Wednesday. Norton called the hearing with the aim of ensuring Ward 8 sees direct financial benefits from the DHS project.