Planning Board Staff Recommends Approval of Buckingham Subdivision

The Prince George's County Planning Board is set to approve Thursday the subdivision of one residential lot into three, over the disapproval of the Bowie City Council and the objections of some local residents.

In a report issued last week, planning board staff recommended the approval of the subdivision of a 32,494 square-foot lot in Buckingham at Belair into three parcels. The property sits on a corner lot with frontages on Belair Drive, Beaverdale Lane and Bartlett Lane.

Sean Yerby, the applicant, lives at the 2700 block of Bartlett Ln. and has said he would like to subdivide the property to build two additional homes that he would then sell for a profit. 

Following a public hearing in on Yerby's proposal, the city of Bowie sent a letter to the planning board in June expressing their disapproval of the proposed subdivision. The council concurred with city staff and the Bowie Advisory Planning Board that the subdivision was not in keeping with the 2006 Bowie Master Plan. 

At the same hearing, several local residents also raised concerns about the proposed subdivision. There were a variety of issues raised, but most residents were concerned that the subdivision would change the character of the low density Buckingham at Belair neighborhood. 

"If we wanted to live in a high density area, we'd move to Montgomery County,” Ralph Staub said at the hearing in June. 

Planning board staff disagreed with the city's assessment of Yerby's proposal, saying in their report, "Staff concluded that the three lots proposed are not inconsistent with the lot size of the area, exceed the minimum lot requirements of the R-55 Zone, and are reflective of the changing character of the neighborhood as discussed further in the Community Planning finding." 

Although the city's disapproval will likely be taken into consideration by the planning board, municipalities in Prince George's County do not have any real zoning authority. All zoning authority lies with the planning board.

Thursday's planning board hearing begins at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the first floor hearing room in the County Administration Building, located at 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Dr. in Upper Marlboro.

The meetings are open to the public and stream live online, but to become a party of record and testify at the hearing, people must sign up in advance. Individuals can become a person of record by calling the planning board at  301-952-3594.