Work Session - Economic Development Strategy Discussion & Legislative Priorities

The Greenbelt City Council work session on October 5, 2026, reviewed the economic development strategy and legislative priorities. The economic development director reported that the first $150,000 round of façade improvement grants for Roosevelt Center businesses had been awarded, with a second $150,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development planned for another round. The city will oversee the first-round projects through construction and develop the second round; eligibility may remain open to tenants with property-owner approval, and staff discussed potentially enabling group applications. The Beltway Plaza small-business technical-assistance pilot with TEDCO is free to participating businesses and requires no city payment. Staff also reported submitting an application for Armory-site demolition funding. The next-phase Armory development RFP is being drafted but has not been released; the council’s prior direction was for mixed-use development, and whether to engage a developer before issuing the RFP remains for discussion. No procurement award or spending vote was taken during this work session. The council also noted that a draft RFP for DEI consulting services was listed for discussion at a future meeting.

The council discussed proposed 2027 legislative priorities, including municipal fiscal capacity, data-center regulation, housing, urban agriculture, and transportation and infrastructure advocacy. Members agreed to use surveys to rank legislative priorities and bond-bill requests before narrowing them for coordination with other municipalities and the District 22 delegation. Other economic development topics included business retention and attraction, possible incentives, Main Street Maryland participation, and future support needs such as consultants for major initiatives; no related procurement decisions were made.