On September 16 the deed to the Armory at 7100 Greenbelt Road, located at the corner of Southway and Greenbelt Road, was signed over to the City of Greenbelt. “It’s been years of work,” said City Manager Josué Salmerón. In fact, the News Review reported on the planned acquisition this month three years ago (see the October 27, 2021, issue). The Armory was owned by the state in conjunction with the National Guard.
The state ceased using the property for the National Guard in 2016 and the State of Maryland conveyed the property back to the federal government as stipulated in the deed’s “Reverter Clause” in January 2024. (All Greenbelt’s land once belonged to the federal government.) The United States of America, “acting by and through” the Department of Housing and Urban Development then conveyed the property to Greenbelt.
The cost to Greenbelt for the property was one dollar. However, with reports of lead, mold and asbestos in the building, as well as acts of vandalism, the armory won’t come cheaply. Salmerón acknowledged concern about “all kinds of contaminants.”
Condition of the Property
Greenbelt’s City Council will tour the property this week. “I want council to have some good information, to have seen it for themselves, so they can see the conditions,” Salmerón told the News Review. “It’s one thing to tell them, ‘hey … major copper wiring has been stripped out,’ it’s one thing to say that but another for them to see that the electrical panels, during the time that this property has been unoccupied, people have gone in there and done all kinds of stuff – stripped out the copper wiring, they started cutting copper piping from the heating system … the electricity, basically you can’t count on any of it because it’s been tampered with, so major headaches when it comes to some of those systems,” said Salmerón.
Future Usage
Despite the daunting condition, the Armory offers opportunities for future usage that many are excited about. The city has been conducting a feasibility study to determine the possibilities for the future of the building. The study was funded through $150,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Among the concepts being considered and outlined are using the building for municipal services or for a new fire station. They are also working through feedback from residents to come up with a community-led concept. From resident suggestions, there’s a contingency that wants housing, said Salmerón, and also space and services for CARES, which he sees fitting into municipal services. In 2021, when the acquisition was being planned, council was excited over the possibilities for office space and potentially a new fire station for Greenbelt. Then they were unsure if a station on the site would require demolition of the Armory but, as the News Review reported at the time, council was reluctant to demolish it. Salmerón says nothing has been ruled out yet. The feasibility study will be presented to council on October 14.
Immediate Needs
In the meantime, money needs to be found for the basic necessities of stabilizing and securing the property. Salmerón hopes money might be reallocated from ARPA funds, “otherwise we’re going to have to use general fund money somehow because we need money this year for it,” he said. Public Works is currently using its resources to lock doors and repair windows. The city was already keeping up the grounds. “Now we’re responsible for it,” said Salmerón, who noted that money needed to be allocated and expenses tracked.