Route 175 Widening Could Lead to 'Boomtown' Redevelopment

Plans to widen Maryland Route 175 could force the redevelopment of a large swath of property in North Odenton, commonly referred to as “Boomtown.”

Officials from the Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corp. (AAEDC) said that as many as 25 properties along the strip could be impacted by the wider road because of the need for additional rights of way.

The situation could allow the county to work with property owners on redividing land, combining parcels or finding other ways to redevelop the stretch, AAEDC officials said.

“There is some opportunity there,” said AAECD President and CEO Bob Hannon, who spoke Tuesday morning at a monthly breakfast hosted by the

Current plans from the State Highway Administration call for Route 175 to be widened all the way east to Maryland Route 170. The project is designed to accommodate the additional traffic from new workers at Fort Meade and the surrounding area.

The widening is waiting for federal and state dollars for construction, but officials said they hope it will be complete by 2015.

Most of the widening of Route 175 will take place on the west side of the road, near Fort Meade. However, the widening could require the state to acquire rights of way that would take over the parking of the businesses on the east side.

That could leave businesses unable to operate as they currently do, said Mary Burkholder, director of the AAECD’s Community Reinvestment Initiative.

“If you look at those properties today, they may not exist as they do now,” Burkholder said  “The widening, while it may not take away the properties, it may take out their functionality.”

The businesses most affected would likely be located in between Reece and Mapes Roads.

The county’s community development initiative has identified North Odenton as one of 16 “target areas” for revitalization. Businesses in target areas can receive tax credits and no-interest loans for improvements to their properties.

Residents and community leaders have been seeking ways to revitalize the North Odenton area for years, arguing that its collection of bars, liquor shops and adult video stores is no longer in keeping with the area.

Legally, the county or state could acquire all of the land through its powers of eminent domain, but Hannon insisted that was not in the plans. Instead, any changes to the area would be negotiated with existing property owners.

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