MD County Proposing Facility to House Federal Prisoners
Somerset County officials could find out soon whether a proposed facility to house federal prisoners will be built here or in North Carolina. Story reported by the Somerset Herald.
The announcement is expected sometime after the first of the year, said County Administrator Sam Boston. “They’ve indicated it would be in early January,” he said.
If Somerset County is selected as the site for the facility, Community Education Centers Inc. of West Caldwell, N.J., will be awarded a contract for a 1,500-bed minimum security prison in Princess Anne.
Another site in Winton, N.C., also is under consideration by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.Community Education Centers has been working to get zoning and other approvals prior to the selection.
Last month, the proposed facility got green lights from two Somerset County boards, which granted rezonings, a special exception and a setback variance on the 86-acre Miller farm on Market Lane just south of Princess Anne.
The county’s Board of Zoning Appeals approved a request for a special exception for the proposed facility — something that is required because it would a privately owned venture rather than a government prison. The board also granted a variance to setback requirements.
Also in November, the Somerset County Commissioners approved the rezoning of the land with three conditions attached. If the conditions are not met, the land will convert back from an Industrial-2 zone to a combination of general commercial and residential.
The facility proposed for Somerset County is designed as a minimum security prison. Inmates would likely be released near their homes or sent to re-entry programs, company officials said during public meetings in August.
The proposal received positive feedback from residents during public input meetings last summer.
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