The first part of the annual city Greenbelt Homes Inc., (GHI) stakeholder meeting on June 13 covered discussion of GHI concerns over new county legislation affecting “common ownership communities,” and was reported last week. Other topics at the meeting and covered in this article include the county zoning rewrite, Pepco’s tree management program for this year, an update on playground resurfacing, GHI business trends, progress on the Homes Improvement Program and a grant proposal for a task force on hoarding.
County Zoning Rewrite
The Prince George’s County Planning Department is in the midst of a complete revision of the county’s zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. Referred to as the “Zoning Rewrite,” the plans are being rolled out as the different modules are developed and drafted. Two briefings have been provided at city council worksessions on the overall plan and Module 1 (Zones and Use Regulations), which has been completed in draft but is not yet finalized. Module 2 has recently been released. A number of community presentations have also been held, with a town meeting to be held at Eleanor Roosevelt High School on July 12 at 7 p.m. It is not yet clear how the new zoning ordinance will deal with protecting the original section of Greenbelt, the importance of which has been stressed to the county by both the city council and city staff. While the “original” or “historical” part of Greenbelt includes a broader area than just that covered by GHI, the cooperative has a particularly strong stake in how it is classified and treated under the zoning law. As a result, GHI had been attempting to define the best way for its board and members to work with the city and with the county planning office on the relevant aspects of the Zoning Rewrite. Councilmember Judith Davis gave a report on the focus group she had recently attended where Module 2 was introduced. Module 2 is now open to comment. She said no additional clarity has been produced on what will replace the Residential Planned Community (RPC) zone that protects original Greenbelt. Davis described this critical gap as “a little scary” but she said the county planning department, city planning staff and Clarion, the consulting firm drafting the document, are all working together to resolve the problem.For more on this story click here.