Construction Begins Soon; Transit-Oriented Development Delivers Federal Jobs to County

The Prince George’s County Council welcomes an important new neighbor.  The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) headquarters, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is relocating from multiple lease locations in Washington, D.C., to its new, soon-to be-built site near the Branch Avenue Metro in Camp Springs, one of our County’s most important transit-oriented development communities.
 

The decision to choose Prince George’s County as its next home, with a commitment to a 15-year lease, will centralize this federal agency’s headquarters for the first time in USCIS history.  Construction is slated for completion in Fiscal Year 2020.
 

This week, my Council colleagues and I participated in the agency’s ceremonial groundbreaking, formally announcing the construction of this $256 million project that will boost Prince George’s County’s regional competitiveness to create jobs and grow the economy.  What a privilege to be in this incredible moment!
 

This project portends remarkable things for Prince George’s County, the growing and thriving community of Camp Springs, and our region.  The USCIS headquarters relocation brings 3,700 new federal employees, who will benefit from their proximity to the Branch Avenue Metro, and new housing and retail amenities in the neighborhood.  Given the magnitude of this project, there were a few fits and starts, but in a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to create transit-oriented opportunities, the County emerged a winner.
 

The transit-oriented site that struggled with the impact of the Great Recession just a few years ago, is now primed to become a major economic destination for a major federal agency.  This Council is filled with hope, excitement and certainty about our County’s future and we are grateful to everyone – federal, local and community partners -  who set out on the path that brought us to success.  We look forward to continuing our work together, and to welcoming the new federal occupants at One Town Center at Camp Springs.
 

I salute the leadership and tenacity of my Council colleagues and County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III.  We have worked hard together and it is certainly appropriate to celebrate how far we have come, but our journey is not over.  There are at least 15 places across Prince George’s County, where transit-oriented economic development and projects like USCIS can happen.

Congratulations Prince George’s County!   The best is yet to come.

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