Prince George’s County Councilmembers are considering a proposal to create a special business district, which would include the areas of College Park, Greenbelt, and Beltsville. The district, which would provide tax incentives and streamline the permitting and approval process, would encourage economic development and the creation of jobs in the science and technology sectors.

From the Washington Post article:

The area considered for the district is already a center for climatology, space industries, and agriculture-related sciences. In Greenbelt, there is NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, a major research laboratory established in 1959. Just a few miles away in College Park is the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, a world-class center considered the backbone of weather and climate prediction for the nation.

The area also is home to the University of Maryland, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and a 110-acre site where Howard University plans to develop a research park.

A council committee has already approved the proposal and it is now being considered by the full council.