How many BRACers are coming and where will they live? Study gives a bit of a glimpse

The Cecil Whig newspaper reported Friday that 2,800 people (53 percent of the total) working at the Fort Monmouth, N.J. military installation were surveyed about their plans to move to Maryland as a result of the military's Base Realignment and Closure Plan.
The findings indicated that most of those who responded to the survey planned to look for single family homes in Harford County. They also indicated that the families might be bringing more children than planners initially expected.
According to Cecil County Economic Development Director Vernon Thompson, who presented the study findings to a Chamber of Commerce lunch at the Northeast River Yacht Club Thursday:

“One thing the survey reveals is that those coming will be younger and have more children than we first expected,” Thompson said.

The BRAC plan is expected to relocate about 6,000 jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground, starting in 2008 and ending in 2011. Harford County is bracing for an influx of thousands for those jobs and the many others that will support them. Schools are mulling how to accomodate the sudden growth with many schools already over capacity. Developers are asking cities in Harford and Cecil Counties to annex land so they can build more housing for the expected influx. Neighbors opposed to the developments are getting organized in places like Aberdeen and Pacas Meadows near Bel Air.
According to the study, 20 percent of those surveyed say they plan to live in Harford County. Five percent are looking to move to Cecil County, 11 percent plan to move to Delaware and 9 percent plan to move to Pennsylvania. The majority are looking for single-family homes and they're willing to commute anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour to get to work in Aberdeen. Forty-percent of the spouses of those who will work at APG will be looking for jobs in industries like health care and education.
According to Cecil County Economic Development Director Vernon Thompson, planners want to make Route 40 the place for international companies that are expected to come here as a result of the realingment.

Welcome to the Harford BRAC blog

I'm a Bel Air resident, freelance journalist and blogger (publisher of Bel Air News & Views). I decided to start this Harford BRAC blog for those who live in Harford County now and those we're expecting thanks to the military's Base Realignment and Closure plan. Harford County is expecting some 30,000 new jobs to come to this area as a result of the military's plan to streamline its operations and redirect some 8,200 military jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground.
While BRAC's impact will be felt in many areas of the state, here in Harford County we're in for a lot of changes that are likely to come in a short amount of time. BRAC will bring more jobs, more traffic, more school congestion and more development. I thought I'd start this blog as a kind of clearing house for BRAC information. I'm completely unaffiliated with the military. I'm a stay-at-home mom of two kids doing this blogging while going about our life in Bel Air. But I am concerned about how BRAC will impact Harford County and I thought my position here as a Bel Air resident provided me a good vantage point to start chronicling the coming changes. I'm already concerned about what this influx of new families will mean for our schools. My son is already attending the third grade in one of five trailer classrooms at his elementary school -- built just nine years ago. I'm going to search for BRAC-related news daily and post items of interest here. I'll keep a running list of useful BRAC-related links. I'm hoping that this blog will serve as a resource for those folks who will be moving to the area as a result of the realingment as well as discussion point for those who already live here. I hope that readers will use this space to share their thoughts, ask for information and vent their frustrations (politely). Please let me know if there is anything that should be added to this site. It's a work-in-progress. And please feel free to contribute. Thanks for reading.