ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The City of College Park has created a draft College Park Economic Development Plan. The purpose of the plan is to make recommendations to guide future economic development in the city, provide a more focused effort to recruit new businesses, and create a positive and responsive environment for businesses and developers in the city.

The city is very interested in receiving community input on the suggestions made in the document. I encourage you to review the plan and send comments by March 1, 2005 via email to cwarren@collegeparkmd.gov or via post to

Chris Warren

City of College Park

4500 Knox Rd.

College Park, MD 20740

College Park's economic development program assists business owners with a variety of needs, recruit new businesses to the city, and promote revitalization of the city's business districts. College Park staff work with merchants, property owners and potential investors and developers, helping them find opportunities in the city and to access city, county and state business development programs.

Guide to Small Business Assistance (click here)

Maintained by the City of College Park, this document is a concise summary of programs that help merchants and entrepreneurs access financing, develop a business plan, receive tax breaks, etc. The guide covers programs at the city, county, state, and federal levels and includes links to the websites of most programs.

In addition to the guide, the City offers the following:

Business Beat (click here)

What's going on in the College Park business community? Keep in touch by reading "Business Beat," a quarterly summary of business openings, merchant updates, business-related news from the University of Maryland, and other "news you can use.”

Economic Development Update (click here)

This publication provides an update of new development in College Park, the arrivals and departures of businesses, and other news and initiatives are also included in this semi-monthly update.

Economic Development Report (click here)

Each year, the City produces an Economic Development Report. The report provides a “year-in review” look at the City's retail, office, industrial, hospitality, high tech and housing sectors. The "Development Status Report" summarizes significant development projects that are underway or planned.

Commercial Landscaping Program

The City offers grants to business owners located on commercial corridors for installation of landscaping along the road frontage. The City pays 75 percent of the cost of the landscaping improvements, up to $5,000.

For more information, contact Claire Sale, Economic Development Coordinator, at 301-277-3445 or cwarren@collegeparkmd.gov