Call it the second Battle of Bladensburg.
Two centuries after the Maryland town was the site of a skirmish in the War of 1812, a fight is brewing over the Town of Bladensburg’s desire to annex valuable land owned by the Prince George’s County government that the nearby Town of Cheverly was already planning to annex.
The first Battle of Bladensburg was fought with cannons and muskets. The latest will be fought with development agreements and lawyers.
The object of Bladensburg’s desire is a 113-acre parcel of land adjacent to Cheverly where Prince George’s County Hospital was located until 2021.
On Thursday evening, the Bladensburg town council will hold a public hearing for residents to weigh in on the annexation plans. It begins at 5:30 p.m. at Bladensburg Town Hall — just a few blocks from the site along the Anacostia River where the original battle was fought 210 years ago.
Mayor Takisha James said representatives from the county government and Cheverly have been invited to testify, as a courtesy, but that town officials mostly want to hear from their own constituents. It’s very likely, she said, that the council will vote on the proposal that night.
