College Park is seeing “energy, progress and pride” following a year of expanded services and new business growth, Mayor Fazlul Kabir announced in his State of the City address on April 7.
“You can feel it across our city,” Kabir said. “This past year we saw new businesses open their doors. We saw new development take shape. We expanded programs, we added services and we created more ways for residents to connect, to learn and to enjoy our city.”
Kabir emphasized that the city’s decisions are guided by resident feedback from a community survey.
“At the heart of everything we do is a very simple idea, and that is, we are one College Park, a community that welcomes everyone, a community that cares, a community that works together to build something better,” he said.
In a video narrated by City Manager Kenny Young following Kabir’s remarks, the city reported maintaining the same property tax rate for the last two years, which Young noted is the lowest in the county at 33.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
This fiscal position, Young said, supported the distribution in 2025 of more than $1 million in grant money to 40 businesses and five nonprofits, while 29 households received emergency grants.
The city’s growth last year included 12 new businesses—including Honey Pig, Raising Cane’s and Samosas &Spirits—which brought 150 new jobs to the city. Additionally, 25 new families purchased homes using the city’s down payment assistance program.
Looking toward 2026, the city is planning several projects, including the summer opening of Duvall Field, the Roanoke Place pocket park and protected bike lanes on River Road.
“We know there are challenges,” Kabir said. “But through it all, this city stays focused. We show up, we support each other and we keep moving forward.”