Updates – Page 4 – ZoningPGC

Module 3 Community Listening Session Dates Announced!

Meet with the Consultants! Preview Clarion Associates’ draft language for the Zoning Processes and Subdivision Regulations

Please attend one of three information sessions on the Zoning Rewrite to explore the third module of the proposed new zoning code. During the session, participants will meet with the project’s consultants to learn about the recommendations for streamlining and updating the County’s zoning and subdivision rules. Specific proposals in Module 3 include updates to community input, notice requirements, special exceptions, development review procedures, and zoning enforcement.

Tuesday, September 13 (Central)
Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex
8001 Sherriff Road, Landover MD 20785
7:00 – 9:00 P.M

Wednesday, September 14 (South)
Baden Fire Hall
16608 Brandywine Road, Brandywine, MD 20613
7:00 – 9:00 P.M.

Thursday, September 15 (North)
College Park Airport Operations Building
1909 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD 20740
7:00 – 9:00 P.M.

Draft Module 3 will be available for review and comment on the project’s website at http://zoningpgc.pgplanning.com beginning September 1, 2016. The Zoning Rewrite Team looks forward to seeing you in Septemeber!

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Share Your Thoughts on Module 2

Just finished reading Module 2 of the Prince George’s County Zoning Rewrite and are eager to submit your thoughts? Don’t get distracted by all of those Candy Crush requests on Facebook – have your say today!

Submit your comments to the Prince George’s County Planning Department by September 1, 2016 to ensure they receive best consideration as part of the County’s comments packaged for discussion with our consultants, Clarion Associates. Comments received after this date will be addressed by the Comprehensive Review Draft later this year, but may not benefit from as much analysis and time for review and amendments.

In case you forgot, here are the best ways to get your feedback to the Zoning Rewrite team.

Create a user account for OpenComment.
Login to OpenComment.
USE OPENCOMMENT!!!
E-mail your comments to zoningpgc@ppd.mncppc.org.
Send snail mail to
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Zoning Rewrite Team, 4^th Floor
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Send the team a message on Twitter @ZonePGC
Post a comment on the Facebook Wall
Call the Zoning Rewrite Team at 301-780-8173
Use a Carrier Pigeon
Did we mention you should use OpenComment?

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Health and Zoning in Prince George’s County

“At the heart of any community’s success and prosperity is the health of its residents. When people have safe neighborhoods, a clean environment, access to physical activity, recreation, nutritious foods, affordable health care, and other resources that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, they are more equipped to excel in school, thrive in the workforce and fulfill their civic responsibilities.” – Prince George’s County Health Improvement Plan 2011 to 2014: Blueprint for a Healthier County

As part of the effort to create a new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations for Prince George’s County, staff have identified health concerns that could be affected by land use decisions and the need to evaluate the role zoning regulations may play in improving the public health of communities within Prince George’s County. Prompted through meetings with project stakeholders, including the Prince George’s County Food Equity Council and the Health Policy Research Consortium, this discussion paper examines the relationship between land use regulations and improving community health, explores critical health concerns in Prince George’s County, reviews recent policy impacting the health of County residents, and investigates key practices enacted by neighboring jurisdictions in an attempt to remedy public health concerns through updating their Zoning Ordinances. Finally, staff provides additional recommendations for how the County should proceed in its work to create a 21st Century Zoning Ordinance that contributes to healthier environments for the citizens of Prince George’s County.

Staff reminds the reader that, at the time of this writing, the Planning Department, Planning Board, and District Council have not taken positions regarding the proposals presented by Clarion Associates, project consultants for the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations Rewrite. Nothing in this discussion paper should be viewed as endorsement or adoption of any recommendation made by Clarion.

Read the discussion paper on Health and Zoning in Prince George’s County.

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Creating a World-Class Public Participation Process

The regulation of land use and zoning is one of the most important functions of county government. New development can enhance or detract from residents’ quality of life, foster or hinder economic development, and dramatically impact land use options for individual property owners. It is therefore critical that all affected community members have meaningful input into zoning decisions. Our public participation process needs to be more than good – it needs to be great.

No land use decision will please every community member or every property owner. Officials have to choose among the competing positions of neighbors of the project, developers, agencies, and other stakeholders. The critical test of a good community process is credibility. The side which did not prevail will be unhappy. But they must believe that they were treated fairly, and respect the decision even if they disagree with it.

In Prince George’s County, as in many jurisdictions, the public hearing before the Planning Board or the District Council is viewed as the most important moment of public participation. But public hearings are only effective when participants arrive at the hearing with accurate, complete information and receive a meaningful opportunity to be heard. And it is important to note that public hearings are not always necessary or appropriate. Most development can – and should – be handled at an administrative level (permit review or staff-level review). Potential public input opportunities for administrative applications are addressed in the companion discussion paper.

This executive summary discusses possible reforms to improve public participation in land use and zoning decisions as explored in further detail in the companion discussion paper. Experience shows that a good public participation process begins long before the hearing is even scheduled. These reforms cover the time period before a development application is considered, the hearing itself, and what happens after the hearing. Each proposed reform creates potential costs for the applicant and the County.

It is safe to say that applying every reform to every application would be neither practical nor affordable. However, this executive summary outlines a menu of options from which to choose. Staff reminds the reader that, at the time of this writing, the Planning Department, Planning Board, and District Council have not taken any positions regarding the proposals presented by the Clarion Associates team. Nothing in this executive summary or the companion discussion paper should be viewed as endorsement or adoption of any recommendation made by Clarion.

Read the discussion paper on Creating a World-Class Public Participation Process for Land Use and Zoning Decisions

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County Council Town Hall on the Zoning Rewrite

Prince George’s County Council Town Hall on the Zoning Rewrite
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Eleanor Roosevelt High School Auditorium
7601 Hanover Parkway
Greenbelt, MD 20770

With a focus on the future, the County Council, in partnership with the Prince George’s County Planning Department, and most importantly, County residents, is conducting a comprehensive update of the County’s 50-year-old Zoning Ordinance. Updating the County;s zoning policies is among the most important undertakings of the Council in its roles as the County’s land use authority, and will enhance the ability of this critical economic development tool to stimulate growth in our County. We encourage you to participate in the Council’s Zoning Rewrite Town Hall Meeting and help create a 21st Century Zoning Ordinance for Prince George’s County.

Download and Share the Flyer

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