The real estate market is no different in Prince George’s County than it is anywhere else. It’s all about location.
The federal government has known this for years, and thousands of U.S. government workers head to the county each day to work. NASA, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are among the federal agencies that call the county home, in addition to military installations at Andrews Air Force Base and the Office of Naval Intelligence.
But Maryland state government has been slow, if not downright opposed, to relocating to the county.
“Most of that activity had been centered on the largest city in the state,” Kwasi Holman, president of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, said, in reference to Baltimore.
Both outgoing Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich and incoming Democratic governor-elect and Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley promised during their campaigns to make the move happen.
O’Malley has repeatedly promised to consolidate the state’s homeland security duties and move them from Annapolis to a Prince George’s location. A spokesman with that office said late last week that he had no comment on the proposed relocation.
If Ehrlich’s attempts are any guide, though, O’Malley may have more of a fight on his hands than he knows.
State officials quashed Ehrlich’s attempts earlier this year to move the state’s department of planning to Largo. Ehrlich eventually succeeded in moving the six-employee Washington Suburban Transit Commission from Silver Spring to a new office in New Carrollton.
Holman said he appreciates O’Malley’s efforts to be more equitable to a county whose influence is growing rapidly in the state. He also said he hopes that the homeland security move will open the door to other offices and agencies looking at a county that can offer affordable office space and proximity to transit.
“We would certainly welcome their presence,” Holman said. “It’s an ideal location, and it’s less congested than other areas.”
