Baltimore has a stake in Prince George's decision
Gov. Martin O'Malley's decision last week to relocate the Department of Housing and Community Development from Crownsville to Prince George's County. is almost certainly good politics -- and it could turn out to be good policy as well.
When you think about it, it just doesn't make much sense to locate a department that mostly serves urban communities on a leafy suburban campus far from transit routes. And Prince George's is an important population center with far superior transit connections.
But while the news is undoubtedly good for Prince George's, it could go either way for Baltimore. Certainly it's not like moving a department out of Baltimore to fulfill a pledge to that county -- as former Gov. Bob Ehrlich tried with the Department of Planning. But some Baltimore-area employees of the department could be severely inconvenienced if the wrong decision is made about where to locate in Prince George's County.
Two of the choices are bad for Baltimore, including the Prince George's government's favored choice of the Naylor Road Metro Station. Like the Branch Road Metro, it is simply too far to ask people to commute from the Baltimore area. To reach it be Metro, one would have to park at a nearby station and go all the way too downtown Washington to get to either Naylor or Branch. For employees of the department, it would be difficult to get to meetings in Baltimore.
That leaves two other locations identified by the O'Malley administration as potential transit-oriented development sites -- Laurel and New Carrollton. Both would be excellent choices from a Balto-centric point of view because both are served by MARC.
While Laurel would be great from a Baltimore point of view -- certainly as accessible as Crownsville -- it might not meet the goal of bringing employment to the core of Prince George's. It's also on the Camden Lines, which has less service than the Penn Line.
New Carrollton, on the other hand, has the best transit connections and most central location of all. Not only is it served by MARC, it has a Metro station and Amtrak connections as well. It's far more reachable by car from Baltimore than Naylor or Branch. A department employee could easily jump on a Penn Line train for a meeting in Baltimore and be back in the office by midafternoon. It's also the least inconvenient for the department employees who live in Anne Arundel County or on the Eastern Shore
The city and all of Baltimore's surrounding counties have a stake in the decision and should weigh in with the governor's office. The key is to see that in the selection process, as much weight as possible is given to MARC connections and accessibility for current department employees. On those counts, New Carrollton is a win for both the Baltimore and Washington regions.
Comments
New Carrollton would be convenient for Montgomery County, once the Purple Line is built. And access to the University of Maryland is a definite plus, making the agency more attractive to potential employees who are interested in more education (or like basketball).
Posted by: Ben Ross | June 22, 2010 3:53 PM
The proposed DHCD move to PG County will negatively impact the efficiency of DHCD. DHCD provides its greatest service to non entitlement communities spread across Maryland. DHCD's primary lending partners, supporting law firms and HUD area offices are located in Baltimore. There is no practical advantage to be located in urban PG County. Many employees start their day at Crownsville and then conduct business at sites from Garrett County to Cecil County to Worchester County. There will be a loss of productivity and efficiency due to increased business travel time when their business.
The Crownsville office is extemely popular with its clients as a meeting site due to its ample parking and convenient access to highways. It is a favorite site for Statewide training. Out of state developers are appreciative of the short trip between BWI and DHCD. DHCD Presently has an extremely efficient location for conducting its statewide business.
Employees of DHCD have been left out of the equation. DHCD draws its staff from a wide area across cental Maryland, Baltimore and the Eastern Shore. The commute for a large majority of the current staff will be made longer and more difficult. Easily 250 employees will face a significantly longer and more painful commute. For most, mass transit is not an option. How can forcing 250 or more employees to make a significantly longer commute be construed as a green decision?.
A majority of brain trust at DHCD is made up of career employees, many who have bought homes and structured their family life with consideration to the DHCD Crownsville location. The proposed move is overwhelmingly unpopular. Many core personel will have to make difficult decisions concerning their employment at DHCD. A significant number of key employees will throw in the towel because of the move.
Good politics does not always equal efficient government. In a time of furloughs and cutbacks a very expensive move of multiple agencies with a negative domino effect is being acted on. Now is not the time to be frivolous. Let DHCD continue its great history of accomplishments without a devastating interuption.
Posted by: Renee Freedman | June 22, 2010 4:57 PM
I think you understate what a bad idea Naylor Road is. Naylor Road is essentially not commutable for the folks on the eastern shore or for Baltimore. Moving there is really a blow to both areas. Naylor Road is only accessible by transit for those that live in the district. MD state employees don't get paid DC wages, and few of them live in the dc area. The department could suffer a real brain drain, as many employees would be unwilling to commute and unable to afford DC housing (even if they were willing to move).
If we're serious about coordinating housing and transportation, we need to think about how the pieces really fit together not simply give it lip service.
Posted by: Kate | June 22, 2010 5:32 PM
State of MD employees have received a 3% salary reduction for 3 years with no end in sight for the benefit of Maryland (balanced budget). Now the Dept of Housing employees are being sacrificed only for political reasons. If Maryland has millions of dollars to relocate agencies then the State workers would like their money back or a raise.
When will this nightmare end?
Posted by: kim | June 22, 2010 6:53 PM
Prince George's County may want a state agency, but they already have several federal agencies and a large military contingent. Now state employees will likely (unless the New Carrollton site is selected) have to battle the horrendous DC Beltway. This makes no sense. It is election year politicking at it's worst by Martin O'Malley and truly sad that a so-called Democrat would turn his back on hard-working employees who have already suffered furloughs, wage reductions and feel like the bottom of the barrel. Tell him to stop yelling about Bob Ehrlich and oil spills and start governing.
Posted by: Joan | June 22, 2010 9:22 PM
The nightmare will end when KING OMALLEY is overthrown in November 2010 Kim.
Posted by: john | June 23, 2010 5:39 PM