Todd Turner, vice-chair of the Prince George’s County Council, said he foresees that the impending countywide zoning rewrite will have a positive effect on Greenbelt. The goal, he said, is to provide what is best for business and residents. Turner anticipates an outcome that will maintain the character of the community. Zoning in Prince George’s County has not changed in 51 years. Turner said that the goal of the current interim process is to maintain the status quo.
Legislative Process
Currently, the issue is in a legislative phase. Three bills are under consideration. According to the county agenda item summaries, CB-013-2018 aims at replacing the Zoning Ordinance of Prince George’s County; CB014-2018 concerns “countywide map amendments for the purpose of establishing procedures to reclassify all real property in the Planning Areas of Prince George’s County through the comprehensive amendment of the Zoning Map;” and CB-015- 2018 deals with replacing the county subdivision regulations.
The recent primary election has stalled a final vote, but the council hopes to at least have a decision on CB-013 and CB-015 by the end of September. The zoning rewrite process began in February 2014 with interviews of project stakeholders. In April this year, after consultation with thousands of stakeholders and years of work, the legislative branch presented a comprehensive review draft of the proposed new zoning regulations to the council and introduced three zoning rewrite bills. Between May and July, council convened worksessions to discuss the particulars and to gather public comment. Turner said that around 40 to 50 people have made their voices heard and that the general public seems agreeable to moving forward. Of great importance was a desire to maintain a friendly dialogue that will ensure the community input process.
Overlay Zones
Of particular importance for Greenbelt is a determination on the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Zones (NCOZ). According to Division 27-4 Zones and Zone Regulations, the “purpose of the Greenbelt NCOZ is to preserve the development characteristics of the Roosevelt-era New Deal ‘greenbelt’ community in the city.” Turner said that before any changes are made, the NCOZ must be determined. Some of the particular aspects being considered are: art-deco architecture, residential density and mix, housing additions, fencing and decks, parking access and building materials. A condition is that “any multifamily dwellings constructed in 1937 shall retain their defining architectural features.” October 23, 2018 is designated as the last day for the final action on legislation, according to the zoning rewrite timeline on the county website. If all the legislation is approved, a comprehensive Countywide Map Amendment process will need to be devised that will require at least 18 months to implement the zones in the new zoning ordinance.
Five-Year Process
This five-year process looks to ultimately culminate with Plan 2035, which identifies Greenbelt as likely to see extensive residential growth in the next 20 years. Established communities, future water and sewage service areas and employment areas are elements of the plan being especially carefully considered. The plan is a follow-up of the 2002 General Plan. Turner said that it was hard to answer what will eventually transpire and that no legislation is perfect; whatever is decided on will be an educated leap of faith. A myriad of factors need to be considered that will both maintain Greenbelt’s long-standing individuality and its place in Prince George’s County future.