Project News – ZoningPGC

Aug

County Council Adopts Legislation Moving Countywide Sectional Map Amendment Process Forward

The Prince George’s County Council, during the final session before summer recess, voted unanimously on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, to approve a Council Resolution initiating the Countywide Sectional Map Amendment (CMA) process.

CR-27-2019, approved and submitted by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), addresses the preparation of a Countywide Sectional Map Amendment and approval of Goals, Concepts and Guidelines; and the Public Participation Program to apply the zoning classifications in the approved replacement Zoning Ordinance enacted in 2018. In other action, the Council approved Council Resolution CR-26-2019 and introduced CB-11-2019, which will allow for an additional public comment period during the CMA process.

The Countywide Sectional Map Amendment is required to implement the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances passed by the Council in 2018 following over four years of review. The new Zoning Ordinance aims to streamline procedures, reduce obstacles to achieving the economic goals of the County’s Adopted General Plan (Plan 2035), enhance user-friendliness, encourage public input into the development review process, consolidate and simplify zones and uses, and incentivize development at targeted growth locations.

Prince George’s County Council Chair Todd M. Turner (D) – District 4, says Tuesday’s adoption of the CMA legislation is a critical step forward as the County looks to implement the County’s new Zoning Laws.

“Last year, the District Council passed the County’s new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations following years of work to update the County’s land use policy, and today’s adoption of CR-26-2019 and CR-27-201, along with CB-11-2019, moves us closer to implementing new zoning laws in Prince George’s County, which are long overdue,” said Council Chair Turner.

M-NCPPC will now begin the approximately eighteen-month process, including notification to all County property owners, community outreach and stakeholder engagement, joint public hearing(s) and Planning Department staff, Planning Board and County Council review. Click HERE for more information on the CMA.

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Nov

The Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations Rewrite Is Adopted!

On Tuesday, October 23rd, the Prince George’s County Council voted to approve a new Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations for County. Updating the County’s Zoning Ordinance is a complex process, and one of the Council’s most important undertakings as the County’s land use authority.

Council adoption of the zoning rewrite bills during Tuesday’s session moves the County several steps closer to a more concise, consistent, and user-friendly document, and better enables residents to play a larger role in shaping the future of development in Prince George’s County. CB-13-2013, CB-14-2018, CB-15-2018 and CB-65-2018, considered as part of the Council’s Zoning Ordinance Rewrite legislative process were all approved.

The County Council and the Prince George’s County Planning Department have been conducting a comprehensive review process since 2014 of the County’s 50-year-old zoning laws, to update the Zoning Ordinance to support to the County’s vision for smart growth, economic development and improved quality of life for residents. The next phase will involve a County-wide rezoning process before the legislation becomes effective.

To review the final legislation, visit the Prince George’s County Council Zoning Oridnance Rewrite portal at https://pgccouncil.us/589/Zoning-Ordinance-Rewrite-Portal.

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Zoning Rewrite enters Legislative Phase

Prince George’s County has been on a 4-year journey to streamline development procedures, increase certainty of outcomes, and maximize the County’s economic development potential by rewriting the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.

The Prince George’s County Zoning Rewrite project has entered its NEXT phase, the legislative process for adoption of a NEW Zoning Ordinance. The Prince George’s County Council will host three public meetings to discuss the recent draft of the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations. Want to stay in the KNOW? Visit https://pgccouncil.us/ZOR for more details.

We encourage you to attend this meeting to share your thoughts with your elected representatives on the draft legislation and the process to date. The legislative draft is available to download and read on the website the Council has created for this very important project – https://pgccouncil.us/ZOR (Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations) Hard copies will be available for review at each branch of the Prince George’s County Public Library.

For more updates about the legislative process for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, visit the Prince George’s County Council’s website at http://pgccouncil.us/ZOR.

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Staff Analysis of Stakeholder Comments on the Comprehensive Review Draft of the Zoning Ordinance NOW AVAILABLE

Download the Technical Staff Analysis of Comments received on the Comprehensive Review Draft of the Zoning Ordinance .

The Technical Staff Analysis of Stakeholder Comments on the Comprehensive Review Draft is a summation and analysis of more than 680 pages of feedback our team received from the community on the proposed regulations. This analysis contains comments received by staff as of December 15, 2017—the last day of the public commenting period.

The Technical Staff Analysis of Stakeholder Comments on the Comprehensive Review Draft is similar to the analysis that staff prepared for Modules 1, 2, and 3 of the draft Zoning Ordinance. The document lists each comment, identifies the stakeholder group that provided the comment, and details the staff evaluation of the comment in accordance with experience, best practice, and policy research. From there, staff provides a recommendation for how the stakeholder feedback should be incorporated in the legislative draft.

Community input is a key component of creating a zoning ordinance that supports the desires of everyone in our County. Since launching the project in 2013, the Zoning Rewrite Team has consistently worked to collect and incorporate the input of all stakeholders. We have accomplished this through an extensive effort to meet with community members in their communities.

The next step in this process is to finalize the legislative draft, which will be transmitted to the County Council for presentation and consideration this year. For additional questions about the Technical Staff Analysis, contact the Zoning Rewrite Team at zoningpgc@pgplanning.mncppc.org.

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Testing the Comprehensive Review Draft

The Zoning Rewrite consultant team has finished its test of the Comprehensive Review Draft. Testing the proposed regulations and processes allows us to see the proposed new rules in action. It is a key step in understanding the effectiveness of the proposals and provides clear examples of the impact of the draft ordinance. Finally, the test results identify opportunities for improvements to code to enhance the overall quality of development in our communities.

Our consultant team looked at key elements of existing projects in the County (including use, development type, lot size, location, and density) and analyzed the projects using the proposed guidelines, as if they were submitting the application for the first time.

The consultants then designed the project by adhering to the regulations in the proposed new zoning code. Each test considers the process that would be used for the proposed development—including community and municipal input opportunities—and the dimensional and design standards such as setbacks, building heights and orientation, window placements, open-space set asides, sidewalks, parking lots, pedestrian, and cyclist access, stormwater management, sustainability, and neighborhood compatibility. They also detail the type of development review process that the code mandates, including whether subdivision review would be required and what role that may play.

Read the Results of the Test Cases here

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