Updates

Thank you for getting to Know Your Neighborhood

Thank you for getting to Know Your Neighborhood with the Prince George’s Zoning Rewrite Team! We had a great time and learned more about our greater Prince George’s County neighborhood. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD was a two-part series designed to help County residents better understand the zoning context that shapes our communities and how these regulations affect our everyday lives.

During these workshops, participants

• learned how zoning and development can shape our neighborhoods,
• used online tools to provide feedback on the Zoning Rewrite recommendations,
• participated in an interactive simulation of how zoning can reflect the aspirations, fears, and hopes of the people that live in a community,
• explored desired outcomes for a new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations,
• dug deeper into our similarities and differences as a community,
• better understood what our neighbors may be looking to achieve with the Zoning Ordinance update,
• and review recommendations for the new draft regulations.

If you missed the event, do not worry. You can view pictures from the event on our Facebook page and review the PowerPoint presentations from Know Your Neighborhood and Build Your Neighborhood.

NEXT STEPS for the Zoning Rewrite

DOWNLOAD the Final Phasing Plan Summary

In December 2014, Clarion Associates released the Evaluation and Recommendations Report. This document was intended to serve as a catalyst for community discussion concerning ideas to improve the County’s zoning and subdivision approval system.

This goal was achieved as many stakeholders came to our scheduled events prepared with questions and ideas. More than 55 meetings have been held with civic associations, non-profit organizations, local municipalities, and government agencies to discuss the pros and cons of the report’s recommendations.

Overwhelmingly, stakeholders agreed that the proposals presented by Clarion Associates would improve the current zoning and subdivision codes, while also withholding judgment on some of the recommendations (such as eliminating council “call-up” procedures and shifting more types of applications to administration review) until more details are available. Now the heavy lifting of drafting the County’s NEW Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations can begin.

Here’s how it will take place. Over the next two years Clarion Associates will prepare three individual modules, conduct public review of the module, synthesize the public’s comments in writing, prepare staff/consultant recommendations on the suggested changes, and then get direction from the decision makers on the suggested changes.

If you are wondering why the new laws are being prepared in this manner, the primary reason is that the code and the modules are interrelated. As each individual module is drafted, changes will most likely need to be made in the other modules. Incorporating changes from previous modules into this process complicates the rewrite process since many times changes are revised again at later stages. Therefore, it is better to address and incorporate all appropriate revisions at the same time.

Clarion Associates has drafted more than 120 codes throughout the nation and these experiences have led to good practices and ideas on the most effective ways to rewrite local legislation.

Download a copy of the Final Phasing Plan Summary for additional details about the next steps of the drafting of the County’s new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.

Stay connected for more updates and staff articles about how zoning affects you. The latest happenings with the Zoning Rewrite are posted on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts—contact us directly at zoningpgc(at)ppd.mncppc.org.

Citizens Meet to Discuss the Evaluation and Recommendations Report

Clarion Associates,  lead consultants for the Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations Rewrite, presented its evaluation and recommendations for how the County’s Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations should be restructured during three regional listening sessions in January and February 2015. Their comprehensive analysis is published in the Evaluation and Recommendations Report and is a result of Clarion’s yearlong review of the County’s current codes, regulations, and procedures.

The Report contains Clarion’s assessment of the problems with today’s regulations; as identified by the residents, business and property owners, developers, elected officials, and other interested Prince Georgians; proposes comprehensive recommendations for revising the Prince George’s County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations; and contains a proposed annotated outline for how the new Zoning Ordinance should be rewritten. This document provides a catalyst for continued conversation with the community to help the County decide how to proceed in the preparation of new zoning and subdivision regulations. The findings in the Evaluation and Recommendations Report draw on the consultant’s experience and best practices that are in-place and effective for many jurisdictions across the country facing similar issues as Prince George’s County.

You can read the public’s feedback (hyperlink to the Zoning Rewrite Listening Session Notes)  or watch the Recap Video from the public Listening Sessions to learn more about key points made in The Evaluation and Recommendations Report.

You too can provide your feedback on the Evaluation and Recommendations Report using OpenComment.

Have a question about the proposals presented in the Evaluation and Recommendations Report? Feel free to contact us. 

The Zoning Rewrite is Open for Comments

To create a 21^st Century Zoning Ordinance for Prince George’s County, we need your ideas to ensure that the new zoning ordinance reflects our community values and project goals. Help us, by providing your comments and feedback to project documents by using OpenComment.

OpenComment allows you to browse, download, and comment on draft documents about the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations Rewrite. If draft documents are available, they will appear on the Prince George’s County Planning Department’s OpenComment homepage. A direct link to the Department’s OpenComment page is located in the “Participate” tab on the Zoning Rewrite website or you can visit https://pgplanning.opencomment.us/.

For instructions on how to use OpenComment, download the tutorial.