Vision Agenda: Priorities

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Priorities

At the Community Forums, participants were asked to review a list of nine opportunities and nine challenges.  From this list, they selected their top three in each category and then had the chance to add others.

Opportunities

Rank Opportunity Percentage of forum participants ranking as one of top three
1 Improve Education System and Workforce Training: Improve the education system and expand workforce training at every level–including community college, vocational tech, and high schools. 68.5%
2 Mixed Use Development at Train Stations: Take advantage of mixed-use development; 15 Metro stations, 7 MARC stations and 1 Amtrak station surrounded by land well suited for transit-oriented development. 41.4%
3 Target Core Industries: Market the County’s assets and target industries that have high potential for future growth, including green businesses and technology, aligned with the strengths of the County and the Washington region. 31.7%
4 Strong Higher Education System: Build upon the strengths of the higher education system: Bowie State, Prince George’s Community College, The University of Maryland-College Park, among others. 28.5%
5 Recruit Federal Agencies: Successfully recruit federal agencies that provide excellent and numerous opportunities for spin-off businesses and additional jobs. 28.1%
6 Preserve Rural Areas: Preserve the rural character and develop green/environmentally-sensitive urban areas such as parks, wooded areas and trails to enhance quality of life. 27.4%
7 Leverage Nonprofit Resources: Take advantage of opportunities with non-profit, community and faith-based organizations. 18.7%
8 Proximity to D.C. and Annapolis: Take advantage of County’s location near both Washington, D.C. and Annapolis. 15.0%
9 Replicate National Harbor Success: Build upon the success at National Harbor to other developments around the County. 12.6%
Other 3.1%

Additional Opportunities Identified by Participants

After voting on these opportunities, participants were asked to submit additional opportunities that should be considered. More than 425 additional ideas were generated by participants. The following five opportunities represent the additional ideas that were most repeated throughout the comments received:

  • Cultural and Historical Tourism: Build recreational and tourism opportunities around the county’s cultural and historical heritage.
  • Farmland Innovation: Support new and innovative agricultural uses for farmland such as venues for locally grown produce and wineries.
  • Invest in our people: Invest in our people, especially our youth, and leverage our great diversity.
  • Increase Affordable Housing: Preserve and build on the high quality of affordable housing in the county.
  • Protect Natural Resources: Protect and enhance the natural resources of the county—including its waterways, watersheds, and green areas.

Challenges

Rank Challenges Percentage of forum participants ranking as one of top three
1 Public School Performance: Public school system reputation discourages current residents and discourages many potential employers and new residents. 64.3%
2 Safety and Crime: Public safety and crime perceptions and realities discourage new residents and business development and impact quality of life for existing residents. 63.3%
3 Access to Affordable Health Care: Access to high quality health care is not affordable for many and is a burden on individuals, businesses, and government. 35.5%
4 High Tax Burden: High tax burden on residents from local/county governments due in part to small amounts of business/commercial development. Limited revenues from residential and com­mercial property tax base. 30.9%
5 Better Workforce Training: Workforce training needed to support residents’ access to and preparation for jobs in high-tech and other growth industries. 29.4%
6 Lack of Cross-sector Collaboration: Insufficient coordination and collaboration across governments and other sectors on key political, economic, and social issues and objectives. 23.6%
7 Insufficient Economic Development Incentives: Few economic development incentives to attract new business in comparison to other jurisdictions. 21.8%
8 Pressure for Rural Development: Pressure to build on and develop in the rural and farm areas that would lose unique rural character of the County. 13.7%
9 Regional Competition for Tourists: Competition with other counties for scarce tourist and recreational dollars. 4.8%
Other 3.2%

Additional Challenges Identified by Participants

After voting on these opportunities, participants were asked to submit additional challenges that should be considered. More than 325 additional ideas were generated by participants. The following four challenges represent the additional ideas that were most repeated throughout the comments received:

  • Limited Public Transportation Options: Intracounty public transportation that is too limited.
  • Insufficient Youth Resources and Programs: Insufficient jobs, programs, activities, facilities, and education for our youth.
  • Lack of Affordable Housing: Lack of affordable housing for residents in the county.
  • Pockets of Poverty: Pockets of poverty and inadequate economic/commercial development in some neighborhoods and communities.