In recent years, residents in Prince George鈥檚 County have grown frustrated over the approval of certain development projects despite opposition from those who were most likely to be impacted.
At a Prince George’s County council meeting Tuesday, however, it was developers and commercial property owners who complained to no avail about the passage of several development bills 鈥� while some county residents cheered.
The county council took just a few weeks to undo what the previous council had done over a period of years, rescinding numerous pieces of zoning legislation impacting residential and commercial property use.
The bill that got the most discussion came early in Tuesday鈥檚 hearing, and it concerned a bill that rescinded a previous zoning exception that Maryland鈥檚 second highest court ruled was granted illegally.
An appeal to that ruling 鈥� which put a stop to hundreds of town homes that developers want to build on the site of Bowie鈥檚 Freeway Airport 鈥� will be heard by Maryland鈥檚 Supreme Court next month.
In the meantime, the council moved ahead with legislation that revokes the zoning change for the land and could render those upcoming arguments moot. The only arguments against that particular bill came from those affiliated with the project.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really chilling message you鈥檙e sending out there,鈥� said Andrew Roud, who is with St. John鈥檚 Properties. 鈥淵ou go through, you do everything that鈥檚 required, four years later we go back in a ‘Doctor Who’ time machine and undo it.”
He said any legislative action shouldn鈥檛 impact anything that was already approved, and should instead start at the beginning of 2023, 鈥渟o people like myself and other investors can say 鈥榊ou know what, we鈥檝e observed what your program is and we鈥檙e choosing not to develop in the county. We鈥檒l invest somewhere else.鈥� But this is not correct.鈥�
Similar comments were made by Angie Rogers, speaking on behalf of the county executive鈥檚 office as the deputy chief administrative officer for economic development. She frequently argued against bills that were ultimately passed anyway.
鈥淭o revisit matters that have been settled 鈥� it undermines the confidence that those businesses have for any investments they want to make in the future,鈥� said Rogers.
Residents who spoke during the meeting were largely in favor of the council’s actions.
鈥淭hese developers gain so much from the county without feeling the negative impacts inflicted upon the residents,鈥� said Patrice Murray, of Bowie.
Miller Einsel said he wasn鈥檛 buying concerns that developers would stop working to build in the county.
鈥淧rince George鈥檚 County is a premier county in Maryland. It sits next to Washington, D.C., it has the Beltway running right through it,鈥� said Einsel. 鈥淚f this legislation is passed, developers will just adjust. When legislation is passed, people adjust. And that can happen and will happen here.鈥�
Other legislation that was rescinded focused on bills that were deemed 鈥渟ite specific;鈥� allowed for land zoned for one use to be used for something different; or allowed property owners to skirt certain rules and requirements.
In some cases, the council acknowledged it would have to work with businesses and the county government to provide remedial solutions. But in a letter written earlier this month to County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Council Chair Tom Dernoga dismissed concerns about 鈥渟tability鈥� from the business community.
鈥淣aturally, the development community wants stability,鈥� wrote Dernoga. But, he argued, 鈥淭he public also expects stability. Stealth rezoning through vague amendments to the Zoning Ordinance are unfair and create instability for communities.鈥�
At the end of Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, he noted 鈥渢here鈥檚 nothing preventing a legislative body from repealing bills from prior sessions, and that鈥檚 all we鈥檙e doing,鈥� said Dernoga. 鈥淚n terms of revisiting and casting a pall on the county in terms of climate, well that鈥檚 what citizens have been complaining about as long as I can remember. The rules change on them all the time.鈥�
He wrapped up saying, 鈥渉opefully we鈥檙e at a point where we鈥檙e done with the repeals.鈥�
