Pax River Needs the EUL
Outlines of the seven sites the Navy hopes to redevelop with its EUL program for Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
John Bohanan
Pax Leader
While browsing The Lexington Park Leader, you may have clicked on the link in the upper right that reads “EUL Timeline” and read all about the Navy’s efforts over the last year and a half to contract a private developer to build office buildings at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
The Navy’s plan to lease 42 acres on seven sites to a private developer and build new office space is not just a dry land use issue. It could make a vast difference in how much the base grows in the coming decade and will have lasting ramifications for the local economy.
Pax River has run out of office space to put new programs. We have been steadily absorbing the decisions of the 1991 and 1993 rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The base is now at 110 percent of its office capacity. This is a good problem to have. However, it is a problem.
Currently, the base says it has 2,100 employees working in temporary or outdated buildings with severe maintenance issues. The base predicts it will need seats for another 2,100 in the coming years as testing grows for new aircraft programs.
In trying to save taxpayers’ money, Congress has not been approving large amounts of funding for the military construction budget. The Navy cannot depend on getting any new funding for office space anytime soon, yet the problem is urgent.
There is a very real possibility that the military could face another round of BRAC in 2015. If Pax River does not have adequate space to house all of the new manned and unmanned aircraft testing programs coming online, those programs could be moved to other locations, taking jobs and economic growth with them.
The EUL proposal is not without controversy. Some local developers are concerned that the project will draw customers away from office parks outside the gate. However, if something is not done to increase office capacity within Pax River’s gates, those customers might be force to scale back their local presence or disappear from Southern Maryland all together. The Navy has already ensured that the project will not compete with retail and restaurant sales in a significant way.
We have not seen a threat to the community in a decade and a half. Frankly, we’ve all been busy working hard with the business space that we have. But it’s time to roll up the shirt sleeves outside the gate and solve this problem. It’s time to support the Navy’s EUL project and protect the economic future of Southern Maryland.
Mark this post, it’s only a matter of time before PAX is gone. It’s a tiny base compared to others and doesn’t have space to expand.