Bowie Best Buy to Close On Sept. 21
Best Buy at Bowie Town Center is closing on Sept. 21, leaving the nearest open location at Woodmore Town Center. This follows a series of Best Buy closings across the country, including 17 in March alone.
While Best Buy’s corporate stated over the phone on Aug. 31 that the business will be closing, Council member Dufour Woofley sent an email newsletter on Aug. 20 stating that a Best Buy outlet would open at this location in early 2024.
Best Buy representatives did not respond to an email asking for clarification on Aug. 30.
Justin Lue, a Lanham resident who purchased his Xbox at this Best Buy in 2014, is sad to see the reliable retailer go.
“Walking through its familiar aisles felt like embarking on a journey of possibilities. It was here that I discovered the latest gadgets that would soon become indispensable companions in my daily life,” Lue said. “From the excitement of unboxing a long-awaited purchase, to the thrill of exploring cutting-edge innovations, this Best Buy location was more than a store – it was a portal to a future shaped by human ingenuity.”
While he’s sorry to see it go, Lue said that he is happy that not all the Best Buy locations near him have closed.
“I am fortunate to have another Best Buy nearby, where I’ll continue to seek out the latest electronics and immerse myself in the realm of innovation,” Lue told the Informer. “This journey may have hit a crossroads, but my thirst for technological discovery remains unquenchable, and I’m ready to embrace what lies ahead.”
A Sears has sat vacant in the Bowie Town Center since 2017 and the Regal 14 Theater, located across the highway from the Town Center, has also closed. A BJs Brewhouse occupies part of the former Sears and the City of Bowie is involved in the redevelopment of the lot. Three electric vehicle charging spaces were added near the Best Buy in 2019.
Bowie City Council candidate Monica Roebuck shared what she’d like to see for the future of local shopping centers.
“I would like to see an upscale movie theater and entertainment center. Residents deserve to have a quality theater in their community,” Roebuck said. “I want to see a sit-down restaurant that offers healthy options. We have way too many fast food places. The key is we are looking for quality establishments that bring added value to our community.”
Largo Town Center Sold, Investor Group Makes 60% Profit
The Largo Town Center sold for $70 million, a nearly 60% increase on the price it was sold for four years ago, by investor group Finmarc in early August.
The 28-acre lot is anchored primarily by a Shoppers, Burlington Coat Factory and a bank.
Burlington, Foot Locker and trampoline park Urban Air Adventure were added to the shopping center during the most recent lease.
The University of Maryland Regional Hospital also opened near this site in 2021, adding to the 70,000+ cars that drive by the shopping center daily. A $100 million mixed-use development called Carillon is planned nearby, and the first phase of construction is expected to finish in about a decade.
“The new owner has acquired a fully leased and durable infill shopping center located in the direct path of continuing residential and commercial development activities, which reflects the long-term economic health and viability of this section of Prince George’s County,” said Finmarc’s co-founder and principal David Fink in a prepared statement.
Some of the concerns that tenants in Largo Town Center would like to see addressed by the new owners are improved security, additional trash pickup and better maintenance of the shopping center’s facilities.
Towson Plans to Re-Apply for Doctoral Program
Following the decision to rescind a previous proposal for a controversial doctoral program that Morgan State University (MSU) officials have decried as duplicative and unnecessary, Towson University (TU) officials are planning to resubmit their proposal.
“TU fully intends to resubmit the program proposal at a later date, once there is greater clarity regarding the academic program review process, as we strongly believe that our program is not duplicative of MSU’s Business Administration Ph.D., and that offering the Business Analytics Ph.D. will benefit students and Maryland as a whole,” said Vice President of Towson University Marketing and Communications Sean Welsh in a prepared statement.
“The finding of this administrative error on MHEC’s (Maryland Higher Education Commission’s) part does not indicate that TU’s STEM-based Business Analytics Ph.D. program — capped at six students annually — is in any way duplicative of any other program, nor does it have any impact upon the merits for the program’s approval.”
Following a four to three vote during a closed session that would’ve approved the program, Attorney General Anthony Brown (D)’s office rendered the vote null as less than a majority of the 12 members voted to affirm the program.
A 2021 settlement signed by Governor Larry Hogan authorized $577,000,000 in funding for HBCUs, ending a lengthy federal lawsuit. A legislative workgroup was established earlier this year to address the longstanding issue of duplicate academic programs.
“It seems to me that the bill that legislatively settled the long-running HBCU lawsuit in 2021 explicitly required that a process be established to prohibit unnecessary program duplication going forward,” Wilson wrote to Committee Chairs Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary (D– District 13) and Senator Brian Feldman (D- District 15) on June 30. “It was my understanding that until such processes and procedures were put in place, no action would be taken by MHEC that would harm the state’s HBCUs.”
Maryland HBCU Advocates plan to continue their efforts against Towson’s proposal.
“By MHEC’s regulations, Towson’s proposal is dead,” the group recently said in a statement. “There simply is no basis for a third review and Towson should not be permitted to resubmit their proposal a third time.”
We have covered Towson’s previous proposals for this doctoral program; read more here and here.
Please correct your article, Monica Roebuck is a CANDIDATE for Bowie City Council, she is not a member.