Georgetown, Montgomery College Set Sights on Silver Spring Campus

Reports surfaced earlier this year about the National Labor College selling its Silver Spring campus. Now, a few months later, the bids for potential buyers are in, with Georgetown University and Montgomery College both setting their sights on the property.

According to Washington Post, Georgetown wants to use the campus space for varsity sports, while Montgomery is looking for a simple expansion of their campus.

According to Just Up The Pike, the Montgomery County planning board submitted recommendations to use the space as a research and development center that can create as many as 40,000 new jobs. However, in order for this plan to work they need an affiliated research institution and Georgetown University could be their solution--if they use the NLC campus space for more than sports.

While Elizabeth Homan, spokeswoman for Montgomery College, makes it clear to the Post that Montgomery has not submitted a formal bid on the property yet, she’s aware that the school may definitely be in need of more space in the near future.

“They’re not just coming to Montgomery College, taking their classes and leaving,” says Homan about high school students who enroll in the community college. “They want the full, rich campus experience, with student life, with places to be, and places to study, and places to learn.”

The 47-acre NLC campus has been situated in Silver Spring since 1974, serving as the only college in the United States whose sole mission is to educate union members. With 506 students enrolled this fall, James Gentile, general counsel for NLC, tells the Post that the college plans to continue operation even after selling its campus and hopes to reach an agreement with its purchaser that will allow them to do so.