The Prince George’s County is currently doing a “Zoning Rewrite”, in an effort to streamline County’s zoning codes. These changes will affect many of the current zoning laws in College Park.

Mayor Pro-Tem Mitchel will be hosting a “Resident Presentation” on this initiative tomorrow, Monday April 27, at the City Hall from 7 PM to 9 PM. Please see below for more information.

What: The Prince George’s County Planning Department is comprehensively rewriting the county’s Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations? The Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations are the laws that determine how land or property in Prince George’s County can be developed. The intended impact of this multi-year project is to modernize the county’s zoning code into a more user friendly document that is aligned with the county’s vision for smart growth, economic development, and improved quality of life for Prince George’s County residents. Project Goals

  • Streamline the ordinance and development approval processes
  • Modernize and consolidate our zones and development standards
  • Incentive revitalization and economic, transit-oriented, and mixed-use development
  • Protect stable residential neighborhoods planners plans

Why Prince George’s County’s current Zoning Ordinance has not been completely updated in over 50 years. The document, at more than 1,200 pages, identifies more than 50 zones and hundreds of different potential uses of property. The current Zoning Ordinance has proven to be overly complex, difficult to understand and administer, and unresponsive to the county’s vision for growth.

In 2014, the Prince George’s County Council, sitting as the District Council, approved Plan Prince George’s 2035, the blueprint for where and how the county grows over the next 20 years. The highest priority in implementing the new general plan is rewriting the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances. Updating the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations assists in solidifying Prince George’s County as a sustainable network of communities for individuals to live, work, play, and shop.

Who the project is being managed by the Prince George’s County Planning Department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. For questions or more information contact Chad Williams, LEED AP BD+C, who is serving as the Department’s Project Manager? He can be reached at: chad.williams@ppd.mncppc.org or (301) 952-3171.

How The project is being implemented in four distinct phases: Pre-Planning, Evaluations and Recommendations, Drafting the New Code, and Implementation.

When Now! Updating the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations is a significant undertaking. Pre-planning for the project began in 2013 and our hope is that the new Zoning Ordinance will be approved by the District Council in 2017.

Next Resident Presentation: Monday April 27, 2015
Where: City of College Park, 4500 Knox Road College Park, MD
Time: 7PM to 9PM.
For more information and/or to R.S.V. P, please email: DMitchell@CollegeParkMD.gov