First announced in November, 2000, the Patuxent Business Park (PBP) in Lusby was created to provide new employment opportunities for residents commuting out of Calvert County. The goal was to capitalize on high-tech business expansion opportunities then underway in the Southern Maryland region.
PBP was created through a partnership between Calvert County, the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED). MEDCO owns the PBP property. The 92-acre business park is equipped with all necessary infrastructure and nearly one third of the land is designated green area that will be preserved to maintain the campus vision.
The intent of the previous boards of commissioners was to secure and inventory the last large-scale tract of industrial property before the property was sold off in pieces. Although the business park has not welcomed its first building, it was a necessary project that will prove to be a significant county asset in the future.
Communities must have an inventory of readily available land served by infrastructure such as water, sewer and telecommunications to meet the needs of companies relocating or expanding in the community. Communities without inventory will not be considered. It takes too long to develop this inventory when a company is interested.
Public sector economic development projects like PBP are typically “ahead of the market” and are used to get a market started in an underserved area where development-ready land is in low supply or nonexistent. It is easy to criticize these projects, yet doing nothing leaves little chance for significant business or job growth.
Calvert County executed a similar project, the Calvert County Industrial Park (CCIP), in the mid to late 1970s; this too took time to develop. Today, the industrial park is one of the county’s major employment centers, yielding over 1,500 jobs and significant commercial tax revenue.
MEDCO, DBED and the county continue to see PBP as an outstanding development opportunity. Upon full build out, the costs incurred to prepare PBP for development will be repaid through land sales. This is the same arrangement that occurred with CCIP with no tax burden to county citizens.
Many businesses put their relocation or expansion plans on hold as the country dropped into economic recession. The darkened business climate delayed the prospects for Patuxent Business Park. The fact that events have delayed its success does not diminish its viability. Our economic development staff continues to market the park to potential businesses – and there is ongoing interest. As the economic recovery picks up, Calvert County will be ready.