Major metropolitan county chooses data center block against budget deficit
(The Center Square) – Real estate once home to Landover Mall until 2002, and since a mostly vacant parking lot, is now the site of a stalled $5 billion data center in Maryland’s financially troubled Prince George’s County. Brightseat Tech Park, approved in 2024, has been met by protestors disputing its revenue generation in exchange for what they say is water pollution and higher electricity bills. The project was scheduled to break ground this year or next. Developers projected annual local tax revenue at $53.5 million. The county has a projected $151 million budget deficit. Prince George’s County is home to nearly 1 million people, the University of Maryland, Bowie State University, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. On July 7, the county council passed a two-year pause through Resolution CR-066-2026. The woes are significant for the county and area this decade. Six Flags America, a 515-acre theme park in Bowie and Upper Marlboro, permanently closed; the NFL Washington Commanders are expected to exit Landover by 2030, going back to the site of their longtime home at RFK Stadium; and 2U Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Regional Shoppers Food Warehouse locations are closing, Diamond Transportation filed a plant closure
Prince George'S County, MD · 1d
