Indian Head Redevelopment

Revitalization of the Town of Indian Head has been a leading priority for the Charles County Economic Development Department. Formerly struggling with underutilized and vacant buildings, a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) was conducted in the Fall of 2016 to examine Indian Head and provide expert, multidisciplinary, and objective advice on land use and real estate issues. The resulting report was used to create the Indian Head Revitalization Strategy, which since has been used to leverage the Town’s rich potential.

As one of four Designated Sustainable Communities in Charles County and a federally designated Opportunity Zone, leaders in the Town of Indian Head have worked hard in the last decade to rebuild an environment that will attract investment and business activity.

Indian Head is home to one of Charles County’s top employers: the Naval Support Facility Indian Head (NSFIH). NSFIH houses the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD) -- the principal-agent for developing energetic materials and systems for the U.S. Navy’s fleet.

In 2020, the community celebrated the successful completion of the College of Southern Maryland’s Velocity Center, a unique facility for innovation, ideation, and collaboration for base scientists and other personnel, business, academia, and the community. For Indian Head, the development of the Velocity Center represented a successful completion of the first phase in an organized, public/private effort to revitalize the town. The facility, managed and operated by the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and endorsed by NSWC IHD, is already delivering on the promise to spark Indian Head’s revitalization.

Other significant redevelopment activity includes the rehabilitation of the former shopping center on southbound Indian Head Highway, across from the Velocity Center. Key tenants include the United States Bomb Technicians Association (USBTA) and ARA, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm.

Taylor Yewell