Posts about National Harbor

The bill would make a new and much-needed regional hospital dependent on building the casino, a link that Baker specifically opposes. On the positive side, the bill would dedicate a portion of the gambling profits to the county's economic development incentive fund and education trust fund.

Baker was right to specify National Harbor as preferred choice for a casino

County Executive Baker says the casino should locate at National Harbor, because that picturesque Potomac River site would be a better draw for tourists than Rosecroft Raceway. Also, the existing transportation infrastructure would better support the anticipated traffic, and impose less of a burden on traditionally residential areas.

By making the specific proposal for National Harbor, Baker is attempting to provide some much-needed local perspective and guidance in this brewing debate. Any casino that comes to Prince George's must be "high-end," Baker says. He wants the developer to invest $1 billion in the facility, to ensure it doesn't become a low-grade "slots barn."

State Senate president Thomas "Mike" Miller, whose support for Rosecroft Raceway is well known, rejected Baker's expression of support for National Harbor, and also opposes decoupling the casino from funding the county's new regional hospital.

Regardless of whether one agrees with Baker's decision, it's exactly the type of decisive action that the head of county government should take in this kind of situation. Indeed, this is the very type of action that I recently called for the county to take in its effort to lobby the GSA to relocate the FBI's headquarters to Prince George's.

Just as the county will ultimately be better served by articulating a specific site and vision for any new casino (e.g., National Harbor vs. Rosecroft Raceway; "high-end" vs. "slots barn"), so will it be better served by recommending to the GSA a preferred site for the relocation of the FBI headquarters, like the Morgan Boulevard Metro Station area.

Casino must not receive public subsidies

To ensure that the county wins and doesn't "crap out" on this move to bring Vegas to the Potomac, it must insist that not one penny of public money goes to assist the developers or the property owners at National Harbor in constructing the casino.

No tax-increment financing (TIF) districts, special assessment districts, public bond issues, or tax breaks—nothing. If expensive roadways, overpasses, and parking garages have to be built to accommodate the additional anticipated vehicle traffic, they must be fully funded and guaranteed by the developers.

Additionally, to alleviate the need for at least some of the expensive roadways and parking garages, the developers must be required to contribute a substantial sum to improve the public transit connections to National Harbor.

And no, this does not mean bringing Metro or the Purple Line to National Harbor. That would entail significant amounts of public expense that the county cannot afford right now. Frequent express bus service between National Harbor and one or more of the existing Metro stations should suffice.

This "no public subsidy" stance is important for several reasons. First, regardless of whether it is actually true, the county simply cannot afford the negative perception that this casino project is just the latest in a series of Upper Marlboro- or Annapolis-brokered developer sweetheart deals fueled by corruption, political favoritism, or some other under-the-table influence.

For example, people are already asking whether Sen. Miller's vociferous support for Rosecroft Raceway over National Harbor is the result of an off-the-grid deal between the senator and Penn National Gaming, the organization that recently bought the Rosecroft property out of bankruptcy.

To combat any perception of payoffs, bribery, or any other undue influence, this casino deal needs to be a squeaky-clean, completely above-board process that does not involve government handouts of any variety.

Second, this stance is consistent with the county's stated (albeit rarely followed) policy of incentivizing transit-oriented development and neighborhood revitalization efforts around its 15 Metro stations and in surrounding inner-Beltway communities.

In 2010, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission launched a comprehensive, countywide community planning effort called "Envision Prince George's." Among the Envision recommendations (which were subsequently adopted and endorsed by the County Council) was the position that the county should focus 66% of its future growth around its 15 Metro stations and other densely-populated, inner-Beltway corridors.

To ensure that the county meets its TOD goals, Envision recommended that the county "[a]lign public expenditure policies and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) items with the goal of encouraging development in these areas and discouraging further sprawl development in other areas of the County."

Public funding of a National Harbor casino, both far away from a Metro station and outside the Beltway, is simply inconsistent with the county's stated TOD policies.

Third, the casino doesn't need public investment or subsidies. A casino is a natural moneymaker. If you build it, people will come, and they will spend a lot of money. Baker has rightly proposed that, in exchange for building a higher-quality casino, the developers should keep a larger share of the profits than the current 33% provided in state law, and possibly even greater than the 40% proposed by Senator Peters in SB 892.

Prince George's County certainly doesn't need a casino to be economically viable. But having one wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing in the world, either—as long as the county doesn't put any money on the table to get it.

The Laurel Macy's has managed to remain open for years despite much of its host mall being shuttered. That store would likely have closed years ago if it wasn't making money, especially in the wake of the Great Recession.

Similarly, if it had not been profitable the White Flint Bloomingdale's would have closed in 2007 when another location of the luxury retailer opened a mere 3 Metro stations away.

Within the Favored Quarter, the most economically competitive and healthy part of our region, only the largest and most dynamic enclosed malls are continuing to thrive. The rest are slowly dying.

In Maryland, Montgomery Mall is the most vibrant, while in Virginia the Tysons cluster reigns supreme.

When the White Flint redevelopment plan was approved in 2010, it provided the owners of White Flint Mall the opportunity to earn a healthier profit by giving the market more of what it wants: walkable urbanism.

Elsewhere in the region the malls are doing as bad or worse. Most have either closed or are in the process of being converted to walkable town centers.

Arlington has had success turning the area around its two enclosed malls into mixed-use towns, first at Ballston and now at Pentagon City, where the process is still under way.

In Fairfax, Springfield Mall is slated for redevelopment, and Fair Oaks Mall is actively considering a mixed-use future.

In Prince George's County, the area around the Mall at Prince George's (formerly Prince George's Plaza) has been undergoing a process similar to Pentagon City. At Bowie Town Center, County officials are looking at adding more entertainment and housing options.

Meanwhile, urban shopping areas that I mentioned three years ago have increased in prominence:

In the District of Columbia, there are four shopping districts that support clusters of national retail chains that are usually mall-based: Downtown (Old Downtown clustered around Metro Center), Connecticut Avenue between Farragut Square and Dupont Circle, Friendship Heights, and Georgetown. Columbia Heights is emerging and has a different mix of retailers.

Urban-format suburban shopping districts also continue to thrive and grow.

Silver Spring's retail is more vibrant than ever. The space vacated by Borders was quickly filled by Smart Toys. Bethesda and Clarendon are continually adding to their mixture of chains and smaller upscale retailers. Wheaton is a work in progress.

Even outside the Beltway, urbanism is catching on. Rockville Town Square and Gaithersburg's Washingtonian Center are growing, and National Harbor is setting the standard for Prince George's County. Two decades ago, all those developments likely would have been enclosed malls.

While purely car-dependent malls aren't going to go completely extinct, they are becoming far more rare. In the future, it is likely the only enclosed malls that remain will be the largest super-regional "winners" inside the Favored Quarter. Meanwhile, no new malls are planned.

As the 21st Century continues, both living and dead mall sites will be either be completely redeveloped or will evolve into mixed-use walkable urban places. Retailers will continue clustering at transit-oriented, walkable urban locations, both downtown and at new suburban "uptowns."

After education, Mr. Baker puts development around Metro stations as his top priority. He says that the attention that went into National Harbor should go into development around Metro stations and inside the Beltway forgotten areas." He also cites the need for mixed use development at Metro and inside the Beltway to include affordable housing.

Mr. Baker often talks about the County's recent forfeiture of unspent funds that were sent back to HUD and how developers are reluctant to develop in the county due to a perception that they will be "shaken down" by politicians. He calls for leadership that sets a new standard for ethics as critical to attracting quality businesses while helping local businesses thrive. Mr. Baker is the only candidate who can begin to tap the potential of the county and its 15 Metro stations.

County Council: While 5 of 9 councilmembers are term-limited, one of the outstanding members is running for a second term: Eric Olson, representing District 3 (College Park, Riverdale, Lanham-Seabrook, New Carrollton). He has won accolades from all corners.

Mr. Olson is a champion for pedestrian and bicycle issues, and transit-oriented development. He has also been willing to take the unusual and often lonely action of voting against sprawl developments in other parts of the county. He has also advanced the use of density bonuses for affordable housing in the New Carrollton Metro station development plan.

District 2 Councilman Will Campos (Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Langley Park) also faces nominal competition. In District 4 (Bowie, Glenn Dale, Greenbelt), incumbent Ingrid Turner is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

District 5 (Bladensburg, Bowie, Landover), incumbent Andrea Harrison won 2 years ago in a special election with the backing of popular now-state Senator David Harrington, who vacated the seat. Many have expressed disappointment with her performance.

Her opponent, Pat Thornton, a long-time county worker who is currently at the Economic Development Corporation, has garnered endorsements due to her experience and knowledge on economic development issues. We agree that Ms. Thornton is the right choice.

District 6 (District Heights, Kettering, Forestville, Mitchellville): In a crowded field, Derrick Leon Davis seems like the best choice as an experienced leader in a variety of positions protecting the public trust, and current chairman of the Maryland Auto Insurance Fund, a state-created agency which provides affordable insurance to hard-to-insure drivers.

Mr. Davis appears to understand the importance of transit-oriented development even though District 6 only has the Largo Metro station. District 6 is directly adjacent to the Morgan Boulevard and Addison Road Metro stations, but these stations lie in Districts 5 and 7 respectively. Davis is on the slate led by Rushern Baker which bodes well for his commitment to a new kind of politics.

Mark Polk, a former police officer turned attorney won the Washington Post's endorsement, and indeed is a person of impressive personal accomplishment and community service. He also expresses an understanding of transit-oriented development but his website emphasizes the priority of attracting high-end retail to the detriment of other priorities.

District 7 (Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant, Suitland): This race is especially important because this district contains five Metro stations—the most in the county. The field is lackluster but one candidate rises above as the right choice, former Capitol Heights Mayor Darrell Miller. Miller has promoted revitalization of this border town and focus on the Capitol Heights Metro station. Miller brings honest, hardworking constituent-oriented experience as Mayor to the job.

The candidate with the most money by far is labor-backed Karen Toles. While she lacks direct management or legislative experience (other than as a labor lobbyist), she talks about the importance of transit-oriented development and the need to leverage the opportunity of District 7's and all Metro stations in the county. She has made building around the District's Metro stations a priority for her campaign. Her knowledge of land use policy and local government decision-making appears to be a weakness.

District 8 (Camp Springs, Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, Temple Hills) offers a large number of candidates. The southern District along the Potomac contains National Harbor, a portion of the area inside the Beltway, but no Metro stations. Archie L. O'Neil, a retired commander in the County police who now works in human resources for County public safety programs stands out as a good choice and perhaps the only candidate to talk about the need to focus revitalization and job growth inside the Beltway.

Mr. O'Neil's perspective as a veteran police officer in the county perhaps gives him the perspective that preventing crime calls for reinvestment in older neighborhoods rather than the construction of gated communities farther from existing urban areas. He has also talked about the importance of the County's Metro stations as a focal point for creating Prince George's "downtown." He is right, and should be commended for recognizing this, even though none of the Metro stations are in District 8.

District 9 (Upper Marlboro, Cheltenham, parts of Camp Springs and Fort Washington) offers a crowded field but it is essentially a three-way race. Two of the candidates are well-qualified and would move the county forward embracing smart growth and clean government, and who is a well-financed real estate development industry favorite. We support Mel Franklin, a bright, diligent lawyer in the Maryland state's attorney office. He has made smart growth and transit-oriented development central to his campaign. We also like Tamara Davis Brown, a talented attorney with years of civic experience.

The chief rival to Franklin and Brown is the well-funded realtor Sydney Harrison who has collected large sums from development interests. Mr. Harrison is likely to continue the sprawl tradition of term-limited Councilwoman Marilynn Bland with further expansion of development in the Rural and Developing Tiers.

State legislature: There are numerous state legislative races and we aren't going to make endorsements in all of them. However, there's one worth mentioning: the District 24 Senate seat (Capitol Heights, Fairmount Heights, Glenarden and Seat Pleasant).

This race deserves comment because a popular veteran Delegate Joanne Benson is challenging long-time incumbent Nathaniel Exum. The Washington Post endorsement of Ms. Benson points out that Mr. Exum's "terrible reputation" which is "richly deserved." Among other actions, Mr. Exum recently attempted to roll back state rules barring direct campaign contributions to Prince George's candidates, as if developers didn't have enough influence. Ms. Benson has been an accessible legislator and responsive to smart growth ideas. We recommend that District 24 voters choose Joanne Benson and retire Nathaniel Exum.