Expanding A City
District Heights Acquires 1.4 Acres On Marlboro Pike And Launches Economic Development Initiative
The City of District Heights has acquired three parcels on the 6100 block of Marlboro Pike for public use. The cost for the three parcels was $500,000. The 1.4-acre site is planned to be the Incorporated City of District Height’s first expansion onto Marlboro Pike focusing on community policing and public service delivery. The City’s expansion onto Marlboro Pike coincides with the official launch of the City’s economic development initiative.
“We have been wishing for the opportunity to get on Marlboro Pike, to have a presence as a municipality for years,” District Heights Mayor Cynthia Miller said in an exclusive discussion with Prince George’s Suite magazine & Media. “The opportunity became available, We are so excited that we are able to make a presence with our municipal building and our police department on Marlboro Pike.”
The City’s economic development initiative is focused on attracting and retaining businesses in the Marlboro Pike corridor, facilitating redevelopment of aging commercial building stock, enhancing workforce and job development opportunities for residents, and establishing District Heights as a leader in inner beltway economic opportunity.
The property acquisition will allow the city to anchor redevelopment along ‘The Pike’ and, in addition to providing a renewed public safety focus for the commercial corridor, will allow the city to tailor its new and emerging economic development initiatives towards both attracting businesses that support the service, recreational, and employment needs of residents and implement programs to retain existing businesses.
“Finally, you see District Heights beginning to make that ripple [of potential change], a reality,” said Hon. Derrick Davis, the ED consultant to the city of District Heights. “And ultimately you have leadership in Mayor Miller who said, ‘Look, let’s get to action. Let’s stop talking about doing this and let’s make our imprint, put our imprint model, our county, our town seal on Marlboro Pike, the main thoroughfare.”
But there’s still much o do before the expansion municipal center opens.
“We’re currently in the very early concept design phase, so we retained an engineering firm to do a site analysis basically looking at what a reasonable minimum and maximum buildout would be on the site., said District Heights City Manager David Street. “We’re expecting that to come back to us in the coming week or so. From there, we’ll be able to make a final determination on the direction we would like to pursue.”
The City’s economic development initiative is housed in the city manager’s office and supported by a consulting firm. The City’s lead consultant, the Hon. Derrick Davis, has great experience and history advocating for the redevelopment and economic success of inner beltway communities and Prince George’s County as a whole.
The growth, expansion, and future of District Heights are intrinsically tied to the redevelopment and success of Marlboro Pike. City presence on Marlboro Pike will allow the municipal government to further support regional interconnectivity and development initiatives planned for the Silver, Blue, and Green Metrorail line corridors in Prince George’s County.
Given how important redevelopment of Marlboro Pike is to the County and its state representatives in District 25, the City is currently planning a small public event with our legislative local, state, and federal delegation and key stakeholders on October 18.
For more information, contact turnert@districtheights.org. To learn more about District Heights, visit https://www.districtheights.org/about.
