Economic Development
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOAL OBJECTIVES The Port Towns Sector Plan area has a diverse Encourage a mix of land uses in the Port employment base and residential population that Towns that contributes to the employment and business base. uses. Support of strategic residential and industrial Retain, develop, and support the industrial create market demand for quality retail and office “green” development opportunities within the area employment areas. enhances its commercial viability and attracts new investment. Take advantage of the river’s potential through the expansion and improvement of the BACKGROUND waterfront area by allowing for a mix of uses that create a destination at the Port Towns The historic Port Towns area features a strong waterfront. industrial base, a waterfront recreational area, historical resources, a community playhouse, and Expand residential development that creates easy access to and from the District of Columbia. additional market demand for future retail and The town contains a high percentage of residential development; most of these households are office uses. small, bungalow-style detached housing or rental Policy 1: apartments. The retail opportunities in Port Encourage mixed-use development along Annapolis Towns primarily serve the local population, and Road and Bladensburg Road. the socioeconomic characteristics of the locale Strategies: area merchants. The retail venues consist of mostly single-storyare reflected strip in the malls goods developed and services for automobile offered by access. The industrial districts provide an array of assembly, and shared resources for mixed- Pursue public/private partnerships, land employment opportunities and make up a large use development at the waterfront and portion of the land use in and around the railroad Publick Playhouse areas, as well as encourage and Kenilworth Avenue. The Port Towns’ historic restaurants to complement such uses. structures contribute to its unique and important Create additional market demand for a mix past but currently do not contribute economically of uses for the Port Towns area along the waterfront by developing a public structured Port Towns Community Development Corporation parking facility that maximizes the presence of provideto the community. a platform The for influence coordinated and support growth of and the the river as a destination asset. challenges of the individual towns. development efforts, merging the strengths and Preliminary Port Towns Sector Plan and Proposed SMA 87 Encourage shared parking arrangements for Strategies: new medium- and higher-density, mixed-use Explore opportunities that will enable commercial and residential opportunities along developers to qualify for federal income tax Annapolis Road to support the sustainable credits, state income tax credits, and county property tax credits. or retail space. development of additional housing units and/ Support and help market the People’s Harbor Policy 2: project as a visitor destination and as a catalyst to increase visitation to the Port Towns area. Expand and modify the Port Towns’ business environment in response to changes and gaps in Create the Star-Spangled Banner National the marketplace. Historic Trail to increase the Port Towns’ national exposure. Strategies: Encourage high-quality, mixed-use retail renovate and rehabilitate the riverfront in development. Encourageorder to provide public/private income and partnershipsprovide a quality to community asset and town center. to provide new space for neighborhood- Policy 4: Expandserving businessesthe Port Towns’ and services office space such asofferings banks, attorneys, accountants, real estate agents, and Maintain the Port Towns’ industrial and manufacturing base to provide a stable employment foundation and to contribute to the area’s economic doctors’ offices. viability. incentives for local businesses to spur private Considerinvestment—such providing as financialtax abatement—and tax Strategies: streamlined review processes, and facade and streetscape improvement programs to enable area businesses to improve and maintain their appearances. Strengthenand their adjacentexisting usesbuffers in orderand createto better new integratebuffers betweenindustrial manufacturing, activity. light industry, Ensure existing niche retailers have access to Consider developing improved performance to adapt to and succeed in the Port Towns’ standards for minimizing noise and air pollution changingthe business retail training environment. and financing necessary areas. Foster partnerships between local businesses, impacts and for buffering outdoor storage the county and the Port Towns municipal police Ensure that zoning is in place to maintain a departments, and the community to enhance strong industrial and commercial base and the appeal of the area to new businesses further promote a stable employment zone. and investment by reducing crime and the Encourage the clustering of auto-related services perception of crime. in the industrial areas. Policy 3: Work with established industrial property Utilize the riverfront to its full potential, creating a owners to promote green industrial and Port Towns waterfront that will generate additional manufacturing buildings, products, and economic activity in the area. services. Createproperty a public/privatecenters for a greenpartnership building between design cluster.local government and industrial/commercial 88 Preliminary Port Towns Sector Plan and Proposed SMA Policy 5: Preserve, expand, and improve housing choices and opportunities to create and sustain market Strategies:demand for quality retail and office uses. housing products and workforce housing priced Encouragefor homeownership. infill development to offer new Support the preservation and renovation of existing single-family residences, building on the strengths of the architectural style of the existing homes. Increase the rate of homeownership by promoting county, state, and federal programs Review residential development plans to designed to assist first-time homebuyers. higher density development. confirm consistency with sector plan goals for Ensure residents have access to foreclosure prevention programs and services. Preliminary Port Towns Sector Plan and Proposed SMA 89 90 Preliminary Port Towns Sector Plan and Proposed SMA HISTORIC PRESERVATION GOAL Register is achieved through a federally legislated nomination process. Listing provides recognition and establishes a review process if federal or state communities are appreciated and valued as importantSignificant elementshistoric properties of the Port as Towns’well as culturalhistoric Historic survey areas have been documented heritage. Restoration and adaptive use of historic funding or licensing would affect the property. properties and communities enhance the unique in Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Edmonston, and historic character of the area. Bladensburg. In Colmar Manor and Cottage City, the survey areas focused on residential BACKGROUND entity. In Edmonston, two survey areas have been Located on the Anacostia River close to the District components of these communities as a unified of Columbia, the Port Towns area was the site of century and mid-twentieth century residential early and important settlement. As a result, the area character.identified Infor Bladensburg, their distinctly separate early survey twentieth areas include commercial and residential components. nineteenth century historic resources. In addition, This chapter also includes maps of each community theincludes area experienceda number of sustained significant development eighteenth thatand survey area with a brief description of the character extended well into the twentieth century with the of that area. suburbanization of the area that began in earnest at the turn of the twentieth century and continued The underlying concept of the county’s historic until just after World War II. preservation program is that historic resources within communities help provide a “sense of place” Within Cottage City, Colmar Manor, Edmonston, and that preserving a community’s heritage involves and Bladensburg there are a number of individual a shared commitment from private property owners historic sites and historic resources included as well as the public sector. A number of the historic in the county’s 1992 Historic Sites and Districts sites and historic resources in the plan area are Plan. In addition, portions of all four Port Towns owned by a municipal government or by M-NCPPC. communities include concentrations of historic These include: the Dueling Grounds (a historic site resources and other documented historic properties within an M-NCPPC-owned park in Colmar Manor), that may meet historic district criteria either for Spa Spring site (a historic resource owned by local historic district designation under the Prince M-NCPPC in Edmonston), the Market Master’s House George’s County Historic Preservation Ordinance and Bostwick (historic sites owned by the Town (Subtitle 29 of the Prince George’s County Code) of Bladensburg), Evergreen Cemetery (a historic or for listing in the National Register of Historic resource owned by the Town of Bladensburg), and Places. The National Register of Historic Places Peace Cross (a historic resource located within the is the federal government’s list of the nation’s intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Annapolis Road and owned by M-NCPPC). Although a number national, state, or local level. Listing in the National of