The Maryland Department of Commerce has designated an 855-acre portion of Harford County, in Edgewood, as a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Zone – making additional infrastructure funding available to Harford County.

The new zone includes the north side of the MARC railroad line bordering Aberdeen Proving Ground South, accessible by Route 755 to the east, U.S. Route 40 to the north, and to the west along Route 24 to Trimble Road and Fulfillment Drive.

Harford sought the designation because approximately 20 percent of the land area within the zone is ripe for development, and additional funds for infrastructure improvements can help attract and retain high-skilled workers for Aberdeen Proving Ground and the defense community.

According to Commerce’s release:

The BRAC Zone program was created in 2008 to help Maryland counties accommodate growth associated with the 2005 Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative that ultimately brought an estimated 60,000 jobs to Maryland. The program provides funding to assist local jurisdictions in making necessary improvements to existing infrastructure. In addition to the newly-designated Edgewood BRAC Zone, Maryland has seven other BRAC zones in Anne Arundel County, the City and County of Frederick, Westport Waterfront in Baltimore City, the City of Aberdeen in Harford County, Annapolis Junction Town Center in Howard County, and Joint Base Andrews-Branch Avenue Corridor and the City of Laurel in Prince George’s County.