Important Meetings on Development Projects Coming Up Soon
There are several meetings and public hearings scheduled on development projects in the Bowie area in the next several weeks. Each project is briefly described below. Your attendance and participation at these meetings is encouraged.
Melford Village Preliminary Plan of Subdivision
Up for a vote in early February is the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision for Melford Village. Owner, St. John Properties, Inc. is requesting the City’s approval recommendation for a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision for 1,793 dwelling units, including 293 townhouse units, 1,000 multi-family units, 500 senior age-restricted multi-family units and 359,500 square feet of commercial and office uses. This item was postponed from the January 17, 2017 City Council meeting. (A Conceptual Site Plan, allowing up to 2,500 residential dwelling units, was approved in 2014.) Following the City vote, the County Planning Board will hear the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision.
This project is nearing the end of the Development Review Process. Detailed Site Plans must be approved for each parcel in the development, prior to the issuance of building permits. Public hearings will be scheduled by the City and County as each Detailed Site Plan is filed for this project.
- City Public Hearing – Monday, February 6, 2017, 8 p.m. at City Hall - UPDATE: At this meeting Council voted to support the plan by a 6-1 vote.
- County Planning Board Public Hearing – Thursday, March 2, 2017, 10 a.m. at the County Administration Building, Upper Marlboro (NOTE: This is a change from the original date of this hearing. This case is being added to a full day of hearings. Although the meeting is scheduled at 10 a.m., the Board Chair warns that the case could be placed anywhere on the agenda.)
Amber Ridge Conceptual Site Plan
The owner of the Amber Ridge property, located on the west side of southbound US Route 301, has filed a Conceptual Site Plan for the site.
In September 2014, the Prince George’s District Council approved a Zoning Map Amendment to change the property’s zoning from C-S-C (Commercial Shopping Center) to M-X-T (Mixed Use – Transportation Oriented). The proposal calls for 150-200 dwelling units and approximately 20,000 square feet of commercial/retail use on the 19-acre site.
- Advisory Planning Board Hearing – Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 7 p.m. at City Hall
- City Public Hearing – Monday, March 6, 2017, 8 p.m. at City Hall
- County Planning Board Hearing - Thursday, March 23, 2017 in Upper Marlboro
Karington – Reconsideration of Preliminary Plan of Subdivision
In 2004, the Prince George’s County Planning Board approved a Preliminary Plan of Subdivision for the Karington development just south of the City on the west side of US Route 301 and south side of MD 214. The approved project, which includes 1,259 dwelling units, has been on hold for several years, but is now actively being pursued. The owner has requested reconsideration of some of the conditions of the 2004 plan that address the timing of transportation improvements and the types of housing units to be built. In 2004, the City Council voted to recommend approval of the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision. Detailed Site Plans must be approved for each parcel in the development, prior to the issuance of building permits. Public hearings will be scheduled by the City and County as each Detailed Site Plan is filed for this project.
- County Planning Board Hearing – Thursday, February 16, 2017. Update: At that meeting the Board approved the revised Preliminary Plan of Subdivision.
Housing at Bowie Marketplace Preliminary Plan of Subdivision
City Council voted on January 3, 2017 to approve an apartment building of 225 units at the rear of the Marketplace Shopping Center. The structure will be four stories on the front side (parking lot side) and three stories on the rear side (facing the fence). While the City Council’s vote on the residential proposal is done, the Prince George’s County Planning Board must still approve the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision and Detailed Site Plan before the project can move forward.
After a Public Hearing on January 26, 2017, the County Planning Board unanimously voted to approve the Preliminary Plan of Subdivision. The project now proceeds to Detailed Site Plan review at the County level.