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Data Center Development Bills Must Be Repealed!

(August 2025)

Whether data centers are good or bad is not an argument we should engage in. There's plenty of positive uses for them, and our digital reliance demands them. This, however, doesn't mean developers should be allowed to skip steps in the application process.

In 2020, the Prince George's County Council with the strong backing of the County Executive's Office, voted 11-0 to grant a partial or total personal property tax exemption (tax on the equipment inside the building) for qualified Data Centers provided they meet certain hiring benchmarks. What are the benchmarks? Development must create between five and 15 jobs. Not many. Granted, the bill titled CB-055-2020 stipulates developers still must pay real property taxes (taxes on the land and building itself), but typically, the equipment inside the building represents the real value and the higher tax revenue. Simply put, in an effort to attract data center developers to Prince George's County, county leaders sacrificed higher personal property tax revenues for lower real property taxes.

Prince George's County isn't unique. Other municipalities have struck deals with developers, but this feels somewhat near-sighted. No one will argue commercial tax revenue is needed in Prince George's County, but I propose we exempt the less valuable of the two, not the opposite.

Zoning and Permitting Made Easier For Data Center Developers

In 2021, the Prince George's County Council, again with the strong backing of the County Executive, voted 11-0 (CB-001-2021) to allow Data Centers to be permitted in some Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Zones. There are conditions such as the data center must be at least 4,000 feet from regional parks, and 300 feet from any residential use. In that same bill, data centers were exempted from two of the three steps in the permitting process, Conceptual Site Plans and Detailed Site Plans. The only step they currently have to fulfill is the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision. Not only is this a major cost savings for developers, it also represents less public comment periods.

Last year, County leaders tried to exempt the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision requirement as well, fortunately, community organizations stopped this effort, but it will undoubtedly be proposed in the near future.

Small Details That Affect Southern Maryland Residents

Details in CB-001-2021 will negatively impact Southern Maryland residents. The bill prohibits data centers from being built near metro, campus, and town centers, or future Purple Line stations. Furthermore, Southern Maryland has been left out of substantive development plans that include diverse transportation options, and thus remains a car-centric region with low daytime workplace density. This will inevitably direct data center developers here, disproportionately affecting Southern Maryland residents.

Data centers are necessary, and its developers can and should be part of Prince George's County's smart growth and development future. We as citizens, however, must demand they be made to come to the negotiating table to do so. Fort Washington Forward encourages all citizens to encourage their elected leaders to repeal both CB-055-2020, and CB-001-2021.

David Owens, President

Fort Washington Forward

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐌𝐕 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝟗𝟓 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

(April, 2025)

Fort Washington Forward attended the April 2nd, 2025 public information session on the express lane study for the southern portion of the Capital Beltway. The study, initiated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), is exploring the feasibility of extending express lanes from Springfield, Virginia across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge to the MD 210 interchange in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The considerations include one or two express lanes along the inside of the bridge with general “non-paying” traffic on the outside lanes. This is the second session we’ve attended and while we appreciate the information, there are several areas of concern:

1. VDOT cannot confirm if adding express lanes will require narrowing general purpose lanes (potentially slowing and congesting traffic).

2. VDOT cannot confirm if traffic modeling accounts for potential slower driving speeds on bridges (potentially slowing and congesting traffic).

3. The study's traffic impact analysis for DC 295, MD 210, surrounding areas, and the National Harbor exit lacks specificity.

4. The study's explanation of removing express lanes in the event Metro rail is approved across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge lacks clarity.

5. Amid budget shortfalls, the lack of a substantive shared revenue plan between Maryland and Virginia is glaring.

The presence of Prince George’s County Council Chair Edward Burroughs was greatly appreciated, however, Fort Washington Forward calls for greater participation from DMV-area officials during the April 7th and 9th public sessions. Fort Washington Forward views this study as a car-centric VDOT initiative primarily benefiting Virginia's revenue and little else. Transportation solutions in the DMV are too important to be discussed in silos, thus, Fort Washington Forward recommends this study be scrapped in lieu of a collaborative effort that benefits the entire DMV. Fort Washington Forward recommends emphasizing the priority of extending Metro rail to Southern Maryland as it will accomplish the following benefits:

1. Service the citizens in Southern Maryland that currently have no viable metro rail access.

2. Alleviate traffic congestion for all DMV travelers.

3. Help the environment.

4. Add revenue sources to a Metro rail system that desperately needs it. We can all benefit from that!

David Owens, President

Fort Washington Forward

Who We Are

Formed in December of 2021, Fort Washington Forward, Inc. a Maryland non-profit organization with a two-fold mission. First, attracting smart/holistic investment to the Fort Washington community that accentuates retail, the environment, and parks and recreation. Second, enhancing social connectivity and sustainability in our community.

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How You Can Help

Fort Washington Forward plays a vital role in building our healthy community by providing critical services that contribute to economic stability and mobility. Thanks to the combination of our strong community relationships and intimate local knowledge, we understand better than anyone else our communities’ needs and the best ways to meet them.

We still, however, welcome your contribution as expanding your support can include capacity-building investments, skills-based volunteerism, and network creation. As we think about our responsibility to the Fort Washington community, we strive to be creative and resourceful in addition to engaging with individuals and organizations that support our mission.

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