**MEDIA ADVISORY**
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Until September 14, 2021
Contact: Karen D. Campbell, Council Office of Communications, 240-508-7406
Anika B. Jackson, M-NCPPC, 301-952-4584
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COUNCIL AND PLANNING BOARD TO HOLD
VIRTUAL JOINT PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COUNTYWIDE SECTIONAL MAP AMENDMENT
UPPER MARLBORO, MD –The Prince George’s County Council, sitting as the District Council and Prince George’s County Planning Board of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will hold virtual joint public hearings on September 13 and 14 at 5:00 p.m. to solicit comments from the public on the Countywide Sectional Map Amendment (CMA). The CMA is the second phase of the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project that will apply the new zoning regulations to properties in the County.
“The Council encourages important public input in the upcoming Countywide Map Amendment joint public hearings,” said Prince George’s County Council Chair Calvin S. Hawkins, II. “This process is the next step to implementing the first update of our 50-year-old County Zoning Ordinance. We look forward to the continued and active engagement of our residents, which is critically important to the success of this initiative, and to future growth and development in Prince George’s County.”
The CMA is intended to implement the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations by placing property in the new zone that is closest in uses and purposes to the property’s current zone. The public hearing is part of a process leading to the approval of a new zoning map, thereby implementing the zones contained in the new Zoning Ordinance for Prince George’s County adopted by the Council through Council Bill CB-13-2018 on October 23, 2018.
“The new Zoning Ordinance and this Countywide Map Amendment are crucial components to our County’s evolving economic development," said Elizabeth M. Hewlett, Chairman of the Prince George’s County Planning Board. “These tools will help our community grow stronger, ensure the higher-quality development that we deserve, and prepare us to avert or address the challenges on the horizon and seize present and future opportunities.”
Copies of the proposed zoning map are available free of charge at the following locations: Hillcrest Heights Community Center, 2300 Oxon Run Drive, Oxon Hill, MD 20745, Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Complex, 7007 Bock Road, Fort Washington, MD 20770, Wayne K. Curry Sports & Learning Center, 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover, MD 20785, the County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center, 7120 Contee Road, Laurel, MD 20707 , and the project web page at http://zoningPGC.pgplanning.com
Persons who wish to speak at the public hearing must register in advance before 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at https://pgccouncil.us/Speak. Written testimony will be accepted in electronic format, rather than by U.S. mail and may be submitted through the online portal, emailed to clerkofthecouncil@co.pg.md.us or faxed to (301) 952-5178. Written comments may be submitted through the close of business on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 when the record of public hearing testimony will close.
For more information on the Zoning Ordinance for Prince George’s County and CMA, visit zoningpgc.pgplanning.com , call 301-952-4944 or email zoningpgc@ppd.mncppc.org
About The Prince George’s County Planning Board
The Prince George’s County Planning Board, together with the Montgomery County Planning Board make up The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission – a bi-county agency set up under State law in 1927 to acquire, develop, maintain and administer a regional system of parks and administer a general plan for the physical development of both counties. In Prince George’s County, the quasi-judicial body’s responsibilities include supervising preparation of land use plans and comprehensive zoning maps, advising the County Council on zoning map amendment and special exception applications, and reviewing and approving site plans. The Board also oversees the Commission’s work in the County, as carried out by the Parks and Recreation and Planning Departments. For more information, visit www.pgplanningboard.org.
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