An Incentive We Can Grow With
Groundbreaking for the Headquarters of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in Camp Springs
Major County Tax Incentive Plan Helped Win GSA Solicitation
By Mel Franklin
The General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security hosted a groundbreaking this month with local public officials for the new headquarters of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) near the Branch Avenue Metro Station in Camp Springs (5700 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, Md. 20746). Five (5) years ago, the County Council and the County Executive adopted CR-88-2012, which created an economic development incentive district that made projects in the Branch Avenue Metro Station area eligible for financing bonds for public infrastructure. These incentives were an essential part of the bid that won the GSA lease solicitation for the USCIS project. County Council Mel Franklin said:
Mel Franklin
“This groundbreaking for the new headquarters for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services near the Branch Avenue Metro Station represents the culmination of a 5-year tax incentive plan for bringing a major federal agency and high quality development to that location. Creating critical economic destinations in key industries, like the federal sector, is a leading priority for our County, especially at our 15 metro stations. This project will help create a vibrant, walkable and convenient mix of development for the millions in our region looking for a less car-oriented lifestyle, with work, retail and home within walking or transit distance. The construction of this project will also include a major emphasis on supplier diversity, requiring the utilization minority and woman-owned businesses based in Prince George’s County, and will help grow our commercial tax base. This is a big victory for jobs and opportunity in our County and State.”
Prince George’s County is home to a quarter of the region’s federal workforce — more than 75,000 workers — yet only has 4 percent of federal leased space, with half of that space being warehouses and storage facilities. The USCIS headquarters will occupy 574,767 rentable square feet (RSF), house approximately 3,700 employees, save the agency $21.4 million in annual leasing costs in the first year, and reduce its footprint by 128,000 RSF. Occupancy is projected for fiscal year 2020.
