COUNTY COUNCIL APPROVES PROPOSED CORRESPONDENCE SEEKING TRANSFER OF FEDERAL PROPERTIES TO PRESERVE OVER 200 ACRES OF PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY LAND
Council Approves Joint Letter with County Executive to Federal Government and Maryland Federal Delegation
The Prince George’s County Council, during a virtual session on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, unanimously voted to authorize the signature of Council Chair Calvin S. Hawkins, II, on a Joint Letter with County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks addressed to the Federal Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Public Building Reform Board (PBRB) and the Maryland Federal Delegation - Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Chris Van Hollen and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman Anthony Brown. The Joint Letter supports the transfer of three federal properties to preserve over 200 acres of land in Prince George’s County.
The correspondence responds to the December 27, 2021 “First Round” Recommendations of the Public Building Reform Board required by the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016, P.L. 114-287 (FASTA), which has a responsibility to identify opportunities for the Federal Government to reduce its inventory of real property to the benefit of the taxpayers. The County response addressed proposed PBRB recommendations on three properties located in Prince George’s County:
- A 70-acre wooded parcel owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Glenn Dale
- A 100-acre wooded parcel at Goddard Space Flight Center/known as NASA Area 400 in Lanham
- 41-acres of vacant property known as White Flint Parcel K owned by the General Services Administration (“GSA”) (in both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties).
The Joint Letter requests that the NASA 400 property be transferred to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and incorporated into the Patuxent Research Refuge area. It also requests that the USDA Glenn Dale and White Flint properties be transferred to the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and/or Montgomery Parks Department for future parks and recreation use.
Council Chair Calvin S. Hawkins, II, thanked his colleagues and the Alsobrooks Administration for focusing on this important issue.
“I want to thank the County Executive and my colleagues for recognizing the significance of maintaining these properties for public uses in the future and expressing the County’s position as part of the federal disposition process.”
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks noted the collaborative efforts preserve County land.
“Collaborating on the future of these federal parcels allows us to showcase how Prince George’s County is a great place for expanded opportunities for recreation, open space, and thoughtful preservation. We look forward to engaging our federal partners so that they too can help deliver upon making that vision a reality for all of our residents.”
District 4 Council Member Todd M. Turner, who represents two of the areas impacted by the recommendations, also addressed the critical role of collaboration in the County’s perseveration efforts.
“It is essential to work with our Federal, County and community partners to advocate for preserving these properties for possible future recreational uses, open space and environmental preservation in Prince George’s County.”
The County joined with several Members of Congress, and the M-NCPPC, Montgomery Parks Department and community groups, to submit a letter to OMB, which has directed to PBRB to reevaluate its recommendations, and provide additional outreach to impacted communities and governments.
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