December 2, 2010

PRINCE GEORGE’S PLANNING DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES RELEASE OF SPANISH CITIZEN’S HANDBOOK
New Interactive Version also available here.

 Upper Marlboro, MD—The Prince George’s County Planning Department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has made its popular Citizen’s Handbook available in Spanish online and in print.

 The Citizen’s Handbook outlines the roles and responsibilities of the various branches of county government and the processes for public comment at each stage of the development process, and describes the fundamental tools used to guide regulations and procedures in planning and development for the county.

 “The Citizens Handbook is a great resource for residents and property holders to use in learning about land use planning and development in Prince George’s County, and the important roles they can play in the planning process,” said Samuel Parker, Chairman of the Prince George’s County Planning Board. “We are pleased to offer this service in Spanish to our customers and encourage everyone to check out this resource as a first step to becoming more involved in helping to shape the future of their community.”

 This fall the Planning Department also launched a new, interactive online version of its Citizen’s Handbook. Offered as a unique learning and citizen participation tool for county residents, the interactive version provides a user-friendly, virtual “walkthrough” of the guide in four educational modules: Who We Are; Planning; Zoning; and Development Review.  Each module provides written and audio content explaining ways citizens can become involved in every level of the planning process.
 
 Interested users can find both the Spanish and interactive version of the Citizen’s Handbook by logging onto http://www.pgplanning.org/Resources/Citizen_s_Handbook.htm.  Print versions are also available for downloading from the site, or from M-NCPPC’s Planning Information Services, located in Room L2 of the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.    

 For more information on the Citizen’s Handbook and other resources offered by M-NCPPC’s Prince George’s County Planning Department, visit http://www.pgplanning.org, or call Planning Information Services at 301-952-3208 or 301-952-3195, TTY 301-952-4366.

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