Touting a near-total economic recovery from the pandemic, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Tuesday the county’s economy is “healthy and growing.”
Alsobrooks, who is running for a second term as county executive, spoke to county business leaders at the ballroom at MGM National Harbor in an event hosted by the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp.
She repeatedly touted the county’s future as one of “rising opportunity,” and mentioned the possibility that the county will be the site of the FBI’s new headquarters. But it’s clear that the biggest bet is on the county’s Blue Line corridor.
“We know that this resource has a tremendous amount of value, and we see the potential for our county’s future,” said Alsobrooks.
A few minutes later, she said that a significant amount of state funding has already been secured to help with redevelopment, and promised that “over the next decade we will transform the Blue Line corridor into an accessible, walkable, amenity-rich destination with excellent access to transit and plenty of opportunities to enjoy time outside in nature.”
With the new University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center already open in Largo, she promised mixed-use development that might start there and likely expand west toward D.C.
“Part of what makes it most attractive for us now is that’s where we have a large share of publicly owned land where we can make infrastructure investments and attract to us private investment to meet that public investment,” she said after the speech.
“It’s what we believe is the next great area in our county for development that also anticipates developing communities that have been left behind. Seat Pleasant, District Heights, Capital Heights — these are communities that have seen very little investment in the past until now.”
One Blue Line stop west of Largo is the Morgan Boulevard station, which is about a mile away from FedEx Field. Alsobrooks touted plans for that area — including a new cultural center and library — to go with recreational athletic fields and other outdoor space.
And she promised all of that is coming regardless of whether the Washington Commanders stay in Landover.
“These projects do not depend on the Washington Commanders,” Alsobrooks said to applause. “Be clear, we believe that they belong here,” she added, before detailing her vision for that part of the county.
“They’re just a part of our multimillion-dollar plans for the Blue Line corridor,” she said. “The investments we make do not depend on any one entity, and that’s by design.”
Earlier, Alsobrooks and others noted the impact the pandemic has had on the county, from the number of people who died or got seriously ill to the number of jobs lost. And while COVID-19 is still making people sick, she says the business climate is a healthy one in the county.
“We have recovered between 90 and 95% of the jobs,” she said. “We will recover 100% of the jobs by the end of this calendar year.”
