Benefits-from-the-White-Oak-Area-Development.

Benefits from the White Oak Area Development

The five major changes to the White Oak area (see separate fact sheet) will benefit people in different ways depending upon their situation. The benefits are:

1. Jobs: The new development will add thousands of jobs with varying skill levels in different industries: education - both related to life science fields and also a new public elementary school; life science research; nurses, doctors and others in the new hospital; restaurant workers; hotel and conference center workers; retail workers; various public and civic personnel; and  general office employees.

2. Quality housing: Viva White Oak and Hillandale will provide town houses and condos at various prices.

3. Amenities: A wider range of additional restaurants and entertainment for the entire eastern part of the county will be provided.

4. Reduction of Road Congestion. The jobs will provide a destination so that fewer people need to drive south of New Hampshire Ave on US29. Also BRT will provide a viable alternative to driving by providing non-congested transit routes that speed past the congestion that remains for autos. BRT will reduce auto congestion but not eliminate it. Without these changes peak workday congestion is forecast to be 14 hours per work day by 2030.

5. Many young adults want to be able to live, work and play with no or limited need to drive. They will be able to take an elevator down from their condo to get their coffee or take a short walk to a range of retail stores and also walk or take transit to nearby jobs. Seniors will be able to use public transit that is handicapped accessible to reach retail and entertainment venues.

6. The reduced driving and reduced idling from congestion will help reduce air and water pollution and also be one tool in addressing global warming.

7. Taxes and Services. Businesses pay more in taxes than they receive in government services. The increased taxes from non-residential uses will help pay for services residents demand and/or help slow the rate of growth in taxes to residents. An economic study for the BRT network in 2015 included Viva White Oak, which accounted for 16% of the total development that could move forward with a BRT investment. The prorata share of that benefit translates to $1.4B in county taxes between 2016 and 2040. After paying for needed services, the county would achieve a benefit of $470M over that period. GLDC estimates that benefit after paying for services is $1.3B over the next 30 years.

8. Community Stability. We want adult job training to be provided to allow existing low income residents to be able to advance into higher paying and more rewarding jobs in the area. This will help improve the economic balance in the area, which then is expected to lead to improved public safety and quality of education in our public schools. GLDC plans to provide some of this training.

9. Improved Medical Care. The Adventist Hospital will be state of the art with emergency care, including helicopter landing pad. FDA and Adventist have entered into agreements to allow FDA doctors to use the hospital to maintain their clinical skills. They also have an agreement to use devices FDA is ready to approve in a clinical environment to ensure that they are designed in such a way it is easy for nurses/doctors to use and to minimize accidents. These agreements are expected to result in enhanced medical care for local residents and then those throughout the US and world.