Ongoing Plans and Projects

Community Plans

Community plans  include master plans, specialized planning studies, sectional map amendments (SMAs) and planning assistance to municipalities and communities (PAMC) programs.

Development Review Plans

Development review  is responsible for assisting customers to comply with the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations through a managed review process. This process implements the land use plans and policies established by the county.

Environmental Plans and Projects

The environmental plan that provides guidance on conservation and land development in Prince George's County is the Countywide Green Infrastructure Plan  approved by the County Council in June 0f 2005. The Green Infrastructure Plan is a functional master plan that provides policy guidance for the conservation of designated sensitive resources and contains measurable objectives  and multiple implementation strategies and incentives. This plan is a national model for ecologically-based planning and conservation.

The current environmental project is an update to the environmental regulations in the County Code to implement the recommendations of the  Countywide Green Infrastructure Plan . The draft legislation contains text that would widen minimum stream buffers in the Developing and Rural Tier, increase fines for violations, update the woodland conservation regulations, and update the technical manual. The draft text has been transmitted to the County Council by the Planning Board. 

Historic Preservation Plans

Current Historic Preservation projects  include the approval steps for the Adopted  Historic Sites and Districts Plan . The plan was adopted with amendments by the Prince George's County Planning Board on April 8, 2010, (PGCPB Resolution No. 10-42)  and is scheduled to be approved by the County Council in June 2010. Other historic preservation plans and publications underway include an updated version of the African American Heritage Survey, 1996, and an updated version of The Illustrated Inventory of Historic Sites, 2006. A recent publication, Oral History Interviews: African American Heritage Survey Update, 2008 is available at the Planning Department’s Information Center. Another publication, Postbellum Archeological Resources in Prince George's County, Maryland: a Historic Context and Research Guide, was published in March 2010. 

Research 

Research activities include compilations of facts and figures relating to county characteristics and regional growth forecasts. In addition, the Research Section produces reports and studies on a variety of topics including development trends, revitalization, agriculture, employment, and housing. Periodic publications relate to current and emerging demographic and economic statistical information.

Transportation Plans

Transportation planning activities  include the update of the Countywide Master Plan of Transportation  (MPOT), which was approved on November 17, 2009. It includes recommendations and implementation strategies for trails, bikeways, and pedestrian mobility; fixed guideway transit; streets, roads and highways; and implementation of the master plan. A number of planning studies will follow approval of the Countywide Master Plan of Transportation , including a recently concluded study of alternatives to conventional adequate public facility (APF) procedures and methodologies. These alternatives might be more appropriate in determining the best "fit" for a multi-modal transportation network that will attract and support quality transit-oriented development (TOD) at General Plan Centers, and selected General Plan Corridor nodes, in Prince George's County.

Ongoing activities include monitoring how the MPOT is being implemented to ensure consistency with the approved growth and development guidelines for Prince George's County in the 2002 Prince George's County Approved General Plan. The Transportation Planning Section will also conduct corridor and other functional planning studies for the Purple Line, as well as preliminary project planning for future Purple Line extensions beyond the interim terminal at New Carrollton. Other activities include coordinating Planning Department work with the Bicycle and Trails Advisory Group . BTAG helped to formulate MPOT recommendations on the non-motorized modes of the master plan. 

Special Projects and Studies

Special projects and studies  include ongoing activities such as the adoption and approval of the Water Resources Master Plan , which establishes policies and strategies for protecting the supply of quality drinking water, managing wastewater, and improving stormwater management practices (see Water Resources Master Plan ).

The Approved Public Safety Facilities Master Plan , March 2008, addresses the provision of public safety facilities needed to serve Prince George's County from 2008-2018. The policies, objectives, and strategies in the plan provide guidance on the location and timing of new public safety facilities and the need for renovating/upgrading existing public safety facilities. Policy guidance for the plan came from the 2002 Prince George's County Approved General Plan . The Approved Public Safety Facilities Master Plan provides recommendations for the Prince George's County Police Department, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, Department of Corrections, Office of Emergency Management, Office of the Sheriff, and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Police.

The Priority Preservation Area (PPA) Functional Master Plan , which will be initiated in June 2010,  will identify agricultural and natural resources lands that are targeted for preservation, primarily in the Rural Tier, as well as recommend goals, policies, and strategies for preserving those lands. The aim is to preserve farmland and enhance the economic viability of farm and forest enterprises. The PPA plan will amend the 2002 General Plan , and will comply with the Agricultural Stewardship Act of 2006, or HB 2, which requires a county to include a PPA element in its comprehensive plan in order to be eligible for certification of its agricultural land preservation program. Certification, through the Maryland Department of Planning and the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, enables the county to retain a greater portion of its agricultural transfer tax.