How Will BRAC Affect The Laurel Housing Market?

BRAC is a very popular acronym in Laurel. BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) will do many things for the Laurel community. It will stimulate the local economy with a n increase in real estate transactions, local businesses and on the down side – an increase in traffic.

Currently Fort. Meade is the 4th largest installation workforce in the Army. There are 15,000 residents on base and 35,000 vehicles a day driving on and off base. There are 156,000 jobs currently on Fort Meade and in the Fort.Meade area (Route 32 Business Park and NSA). Between 2007 and 2015 there are another 42,000 coming. The majority of those haven’t begun to move yet.  

Within the last week the largest move so far took place. DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) moved into their new building on base. This move was about 700 jobs. These employees are moving from the Arlington, Va. area and commuting. A large number of the DISA employees will be relocating to the Ft. Meade area over the next year.

Traffic will be the biggest con to BRAC. Currently Route 175 can get pretty backed up getting onto base in the morning and evening during rush hour. There are several ideas for how to deal with that traffic being explored – no decisions yet.

With so much growth in the Laurel area over the next five years how will house values pan out? They will stable out although we will still see foreclosures and short sales. Supply and demand in the Fort Meade area will stimulate our real estate market and the local economy. 

All stastical information came from the Howard County BRAC Task Force.