Prince George's County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Prince George's County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
FY 2027 Office of Ethics and Accountability budget
Ivey claimed Emerson is a friend of Council Member Burroughs and that the auditor shouldn't audit an organization connected to any council member. Other members demanded evidence and noted recusal rules apply; the accusation went unanswered because Burroughs wasn't present.
Open Meetings Act notice challenge
Ivey said she got notice of this special meeting less than an hour before it started and argued that violates the Open Meetings Act, since the auditor seat had been open a year and wasn't urgent.
Tinkers Creek trail network and public trailhead
The developer will dedicate about 30 acres of stream valley, build 3,700 feet of paved trail, and construct a public trailhead with parking, restrooms, and a playground right off Piscataway Road — connecting to trails at Hyde Landing, the Grove, and Potomac Air Park.
County-owned grocery store feasibility
A resolution directing staff to develop an implementation plan for a county-owned grocery store was introduced but sent to committee after a rule-suspension vote fell short.
Surveillance technology oversight (Flock cameras)
The department is switching to a body camera system with instant translation in 50 languages, automatic recording activation and report pre-population — aimed at cutting report times and speeding up investigations and discovery.
Subregion 5 master plan amendments rejected
Attempts to take up the Subregion 5 plan and zoning map amendments (Clinton, Aquasco, Brandywine) failed on suspension votes, leaving that area's plan update stalled.
Energy infrastructure planning and grid reliability
The county wants to know whether planning utility infrastructure ahead of growth could keep your utility bills lower. The planning commission will study it and report back with recommendations.
Grant-making transparency and accountability
A new task force of outside experts will review how the council awards community grants and recommend ways to build public confidence in the use of taxpayer dollars.
Development review fast-tracking
A suite of bills — concurrent reviews, a development ombudsman, a high-wage employer fast track, and shovel-ready site certification — aim to speed development approvals, over objections that agencies are understaffed, databases are broken, and public input is squeezed.
County-Owned Grocery Store Implementation Plan
CR-115-2026 concerns an implementation plan for a county-owned grocery store, an effort to address food access gaps in underserved areas of the county.
Locust Hill Phase 2 in District 6
Phase 3 of the Locust Hill development near Oak Grove Road gets 161 single-family attached homes, including 20 carriage homes, after the council waived review of the Planning Board approval.
Quiet and clean landscaping equipment
The county now regulates gas-powered landscaping equipment with a phase-out, exemptions, and a fund to help landscapers transition — a quality-of-life and asthma issue.
Court-ordered redo of 2009 Subregion 5/6 zoning decisions
Seventeen years of litigation ended in a Maryland Supreme Court order sending four property zoning decisions back to the council, which must decide based only on the 2009 record — no new evidence allowed. Affected families testified they want their 2009 rezonings restored.
Port Towns growth and redevelopment
The council, sitting as the District Council, adopted a new sector plan and zoning map for Bladensburg, Cottage City, Edmonston and Colmar Manor to guide growth along the Anacostia and Route 450 corridors.
Fort Washington Sustainable Community Designation
Fort Washington is seeking state designation as a Sustainable Community to help unlock funding and resources for local revitalization efforts.
Treatment of deaf and hard-of-hearing residents by police
Rico Dancy of Black Lives Matter for the Deaf urged the council to ensure police comply with ADA requirements for certified interpreters instead of forcing family members to interpret, citing a deaf man's death in a Baltimore jail.
Dementia services capacity and coordination
A planned briefing from the Alzheimer's Association, Dementia Friendly Prince George's, and the Department of Family Services on dementia care capacity was rescheduled, delaying the Council's look at services for residents with dementia and their families.
Own the Block commercial real estate education initiative
Many commercial property owners in the county live elsewhere, so the profits — and the pride of ownership — leave town. This program would teach residents how to buy and manage commercial real estate themselves.
National Harbor development project financial risk
Resident Margery Jones challenged the claimed $63 million-a-year tax benefit from a proposed National Harbor project, saying the real direct net is closer to $7.4 million after debt service, and asked for feasibility, attendance and surveillance-privacy studies.
Energy Infrastructure Planning Study
A resolution directs the parks-planning commission to study whether master planning for utility use could lower utility bills, boost energy resilience, and support economic development. A report with recommendations will come back to the council.
WSSC Water FY 2028 budget preview
The water utility gave an early look at its preliminary FY 2028 budget, an early signal of possible rate and spending decisions ahead.
Energy infrastructure master planning (CR-098-2026)
A resolution would have M-NCPPC study master planning for utility use to help lower utility bills. Planning staff said they aren't the experts and would need a consultant, prompting the committee to hold the bill for two weeks to work out who leads and how it's scoped.
Energy infrastructure planning and utility bills
A proposed study would look at whether master planning for utility use beyond current processes could help lower residents' utility bills.
County climate action governance (CR-101-2026)
A resolution would require every county agency to join the Interagency Climate Committee and adopt emission-reduction goals, with budget and progress reporting requirements. The committee recommended it with amendments ensuring land use, tree conservation, and codes and standards get prioritized. Members also raised public EV charging availability at county buildings.
Driveway consolidation and street parking on dead-end streets
Neighbors of the Suco Wash project said a planned 20-foot driveway spanning the whole front of a house on a dead-end street would leave nowhere for anyone to park — pushing visitors to park in front of their homes. They also said they never saw the plans and weren't told a translator was available.
Residential variance relief in Beltsville and Hyattsville
A property owner wants to run a parking lot on a small Rural Residential-zoned parcel to serve a nearby commercial or industrial use off Baltimore Avenue. The case also tests lot-size and buffering standards, so the outcome could shape how edge-of-zone properties near US 1 are used.
Legalization of unpermitted residential construction
Four property owners asked the Board of Appeals for relief from zoning dimensional and parking rules so they can obtain building permits — much of it for work already done without permits. The outcomes determine whether the additions, driveway, sunroom and shed can stay or must be altered.
Fence height exemptions for residential security
The Reeds wanted a 10-foot fence to keep basketballs out of neighbors' yards and woods, but the board said the security bar wasn't met. Good news: a 6-foot rear fence needs no board approval at all.
Language access at public hearings
A Spanish-speaking neighbor didn't know she could request a translator and nearly couldn't participate in the Suco Wash case. The board paused the hearing to bring back its certified interpreter rather than let a bystander translate.
Driveway and lot-dimension variances in Capitol Heights and Temple Hills
A Capitol Heights homeowner won a variance to build his neighborhood's missing driveway after repeated car break-ins while street parking. His 1950s-era subdivision lot predates modern zoning rules.
Autism Equity Initiative
The adopted resolution launches a countywide autism equity effort with inclusive public infrastructure, better data reporting and an advisory workgroup, backed by about $285,000 initially.
Seniors and Disability Affairs Ombudsman
The council created a dedicated ombudsman within the Department of Family Services to advocate for seniors and disabled residents navigating county services. Council Member Adams, who has a disability, called it a matter of safety and quality of life.
Central Avenue SMA revisory petition
A property owner asked the council to revise the rezoning map for three parcels at 8601, 8605 and 8607 Central Avenue in Capitol Heights, claiming four factual errors in the original zoning change. County lawyers found no reasonable basis for the revision, and the council denied it 7-0 — locking the current CGO zoning in place.
Permitting Fee Overhaul and Increases
Developers who want a waiver from universal design housing requirements would pay higher waiver, technology and administrative fees under this resolution.
Universal Design Housing Waiver Fee Increase
Developers asking to waive universal design housing requirements would pay higher fees to cover processing costs. The waiver fee went from $293 to $294 after a last-minute correction.
Zoning record-access problems at Planning Board
People's Zoning Counsel and appellants both flagged that M-NCPPC's posted case files omit key documents like floodplain studies and mailing affidavits, confusing the public. He urged the Planning Department to post the full administrative record.
Snow, Ice Control and Transportation Contract Funding
CR-147-2026 would raise contract ceilings for snow and ice control services and boost funding for transportation service contracts to meet Fiscal Year 2027 needs.
Housing code enforcement and unsafe conditions
A cluster of bills strengthens enforcement: administrative search warrants for vacant properties, electrical code penalties, increased building/zoning fines, transferring some enforcement to Homeland Security, and new rules on prohibited home businesses and unpaved-lot parking.
UMD literacy partnership with county schools
The University of Maryland's MILE initiative brings university research muscle to literacy and equity work in Prince George's County Public Schools. The briefing explored how that partnership is functioning.
Data transparency obligations and Open Data Refresh
A package of access reforms had mixed results: the transparency workgroup advanced, listening tours advanced 4-0-1, evening meetings passed 3-0-2, and the virtual participation requirement was held in committee.
Council transparency and access rules
Three rules changes would let the public participate virtually, hold monthly evening meetings, and require yearly listening tours. Virtual participation was held in committee; evening meetings passed 3-0 with two abstentions; listening tours passed 4-0.
Stormwater infrastructure financing
The county plans to borrow up to $38.5 million in low-interest state loans to retrofit about 250 impervious acres and meet its federal stormwater permit obligations.
Residential parking and vehicle enforcement
Two bills would tighten parking rules: one clarifying the ban on parking on unpaved residential yards and who enforces it, and another addressing vehicle parking and impoundment.
County equity stakes in development projects
The County Equity Participation Authority Act, which would let the county co-own development projects through special purpose entities, was postponed indefinitely — a significant economic development tool left on the shelf.
Prohibited home businesses and fine increases
A bill sponsored by Council Member Dernoga would impose civil fines, notices and possible tax liens on prohibited home businesses, alongside a separate fine-increase bill.
Home-based contractor businesses and neighborhood congestion
Chair Dernoga's bill targets contractors who run fleets of vehicles out of their homes, a 25-year frustration he says has caused neighborhood congestion; fines and tax liens are strengthened.
Farm-based alcohol production and forfeited HOAs
Robert Rose challenged the county's interpretation that his Bowie-area farm lot can't host farm-based alcohol production because his subdivision is subject to covenants — even though the HOA was forfeited by the state in 2004. The board sided with the planning department, meaning the commercial-use restriction stands for the Queen Anne Meadows subdivision.
Winery and resort transparency in the Duvalltown Road corridor
An appellant is challenging the county's reading of a rule that bans farm-based alcohol production on lots in subdivisions with recorded covenants and an HOA. His argument: the Queen Anne Meadows HOA was forfeited by the State in 2004, so it legally doesn't exist and can't satisfy the rule. A win could open the door for similar farm businesses in AG-zoned subdivisions.
Health impact fees ballot question
Council Chair Oriadha highlighted a ballot question asking voters to allow health-based impact fees on industries like tobacco and liquor, which could create a dedicated fund for prevention and treatment programs.
Civil fine increases and state authority for higher penalties
Fisher urged tracking data on $5,000 fines because Annapolis won't grant the $10,000 repeat-offense authority without proof — a gap she says lets bad actors dump in Prince George's rather than DC.