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Consultant outlines maker-space and small-manufacturing vision for Old Town Bowie
Summary
Incubate Community Development Partners presented a six-month assessment recommending a maker-space and small-scale craft-manufacturing strategy for Old Town Bowie, emphasizing historic preservation, arts programming and partnerships to attract local entrepreneurs and fundraise for infrastructure improvements.
Incubate Community Development Partners President Mark Lawrence told the Bowie City Council on Feb. 3 that Old Town Bowie's —historic bones— make it a fit for a district built around small-scale craft manufacturing, art spaces and entrepreneurship.
"Old Town Bowie has the infrastructure, the bones, and the culture for what we call small scale craft manufacturing and art spaces," Lawrence said, describing a strategy that prioritizes adaptive reuse of existing buildings, commercial-kitchen and light-manufacturing incubators, and marketing the area as a destination.
Lawrence said his team has worked for six months on assessment, planning and community engagement and is midway through a study funded in part by TEDCO's Maryland Maker Space initiative; that study will conclude in April and inform a steering committee's decisions. He said the team has identified partners with experience in contract manufacturing and innovation spaces and is exploring state revitalization programs through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
Why it matters: The consultant's plan focuses on building local jobs and activating street-level retail and events through smaller, community-rooted businesses rather than attempting only to recruit national chains. The approach emphasizes a mix of public and private fundraising to support building renovations, start-up incentives and marketing.
Council reaction: Members asked about obstacles; Lawrence pointed to fragmented property ownership and the need to engage out-of-area owners. Councilmembers suggested stronger outreach to residents along Chestnut Road and other Old Town corridors who can provide on-the-ground information about property owners and potential tenants.
Ending: Lawrence said the next project milestone is the April study completion and a convening of a broader steering committee to use that analysis for next steps on property engagement, incentives and funding.
