WAMU 88.5 : Morning Edition

Filed Under:

Md.'s DHCD Move Angers Anne Arundel

By: Elliott Francis // September 20, 2011
Play associated audio
comments
The new 700,000 square foot development that will house Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development, shown here in an artist's rendering, will be located near the Metro and MARC stations in New Carrollton.
Maryland DCHD
The new 700,000 square foot development that will house Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development, shown here in an artist's rendering, will be located near the Metro and MARC stations in New Carrollton.

Two Maryland county executives are at odds over the relocation by the state's Department of Housing and Community Development from Anne Arundel County to Prince George’s County.

When Governor Martin O’Malley announced DHCD would move from its current location in Crownsville, Md. to a new 700,000-square-foot complex in New Carrolton, Anne Arundel County executive John Leopold objected. 

"Moving around state employees during a time of economic stress is not the right approach," Leopold wrote in a letter to the state comptroller.

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker says the mixed-use complex that will house DHCD, which is designed for easy mass transit access, will revitalize this area of his county. 

“This will create jobs, it will create retail, it will create affordable housing, so this is all tremendous for us," Baker says. "It's one of the visions I have for us as county executive coming into Prince George's County."             

The relocation of DHCD makes good on a campaign promise made by Governor O’Malley five years ago to locate a state agency's headquarters in the county.

Pending final approval by the state board of public works, the complex is slated to open in the fall of 2013.

Arts & Culture

NPR

More Time Together, Though 'Midnight' Looms

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke return for the third in Richard Linklater's loosely peerless Before series, and they've never been more persuasive — nor has the storytelling. (Recommended)

Food

NPR

The Great Charcoal Debate: Briquettes Or Lumps?

Does the kind of charcoal you use really make a difference when it comes to grilling up a tasty steak or other food on the grill? Yes — but deciding which one to use depends on what you're after. Both briquettes and lump charcoal — aka "natural" hardwood charcoal — have their advantages and disadvantages.

Politics

NPR

Obama's Terrorism Fight Is Colored Gray, Not Black And White

If President Obama's newly recalibrated counterterrorism strategy demonstrates anything, it is his penchant for nuance.

Technology

NPR

Google Reportedly Faces FTC Antitrust Probe Over Display Ads

The Federal Trade Commission is in the early stages of opening an antitrust probe into how Google runs its online display advertising business, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing sources who want to remain anonymous because the FTC has not announced the probe.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.