The U.S. Secret Service is planning a major overhaul of its huge training campus in Laurel, to the tune of more than 800,000 square feet of new and renovated facilities.
Named after a Cold War-era service chief, the James J. Rowley Training Center is, among other things, where recruits attend Secret Service bootcamp. Located at 9200 Powder Mill Road, it currently comprises about 352,000 square feet of training facilities. But mission requirements call for nearly 919,000 square feet, according to a draft master plan update that the National Capital Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to consider at its Dec. 1 meeting.
Reaching the master plan’s goal would entail adding nearly 755,000 square feet of new facilities, renovating about 53,000 square feet and continuing to use about 111,000 square feet of what already exists. Though much the publicly available version has been redacted, the draft master plan available on the commission’s website outlines 16 projects involving demolition and construction or renovation between fiscal years 2024 and 2027, plus another two projects categorized under the heading “capacity.”
“Prince George’s County has long called for greater federal investments in the county, and we are very pleased to hear about the expansion plans for the Secret Service training center,” said David Iannucci, who heads the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corp. Increased activity as the site “will spill over to increased patronage in our local hotels, restaurants and stores,” he added.
