Harford County Economic Development Office Moving from Bel Air

The economic development office for Harford County is relocating to Havre de Grace, County Executive Barry Glassman announced Tuesday.

Currently, the office is located in the County Administration Building in Bel Air. The new location will be at The GroundFloor in Swan Creek Village Center off US Route 40.

Related: The GroundFloor—Where Ideas, Professionals Collide

Six start-up companies are based at The GroundFloor, a business incubator and cooperative work space, according to a statement from the Glassman administration.

Moving from Bel Air to the Route 40 corridor will achieve the following benefits, the statement said:

• Improve customer access to county services
• Unite local, state, federal resources to support small businesses, from concept to commercialization
• Promote collaboration through shared work space
• Provide modern facility that will increase mobility for staff working with clients, companies off-site
• Save money

To make the move, the county will end its lease in Belcamp where the Harford Business Innovation Center is located (it’s moving to Havre de Grace too), saving $165,000 annually. With the Office of Economic Development’s departure from Bel Air, other agencies, such as the Department of Humane Resources, may occupy the vacant space in the county building; that move would save $72,000 a year, according to the statement.

See Also: Glassman Issues 8 Executive Orders to Streamline County Government

“While we are streamlining county government in response to fiscal pressures, we will do more than hope for an economic turnaround. We will lead the way as Maryland’s new center of opportunity,” Glassman said. “This consolidation will create synergies in service delivery and provide a modern one-stop-shop for business to launch, relocate and grow in Harford County. The site’s proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground will promote direct access to companies and cutting-edge technology. Consolidating on the Route 40 corridor will also further the area’s revitalization.”

Annual rent for the added space is approximately $197,000 plus taxes, maintenance, insurance and utilities, according to the statement. The county will also pay for a one-time build out of the space, not to exceed $260,000, according to the statement, which said the Board of Estimates unanimously approved the measure at its Tuesday meeting.