Planning Board to Reconsider Buckingham at Belair Subdivision

One local resident's hope to subdivide his property in Bowie remain on hold, as the Prince George's County Planning Board is set to reconsider the much debated Preliminary Plans for Subdivision on September 26.

Bowie resident Sean Yerby is hoping to subdivide his 32,494 square-foot lot in Buckingham at Belair into three parcels. His plans are to build homes on the parcels and sell them at a profit, according to statements he made at a council meeting earlier this year. The property sits on a corner lot with frontages on Belair Drive, Beaverdale Lane and Bartlett Lane.


The plans were originally heard by the planning board on July 25. The board failed to come to a consensus, granting the plans "deemed approval." However, according to a letter from the planning board's general council, in case of a tie, the matter can be reintroduced at at later hearing, as provided for in Robert's Rules of Order. 

Bowie Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Diane Polangin (District 2), is pleased that the plans will have a second hearing, and is hoping for a different outcome. 

"It looks so cut and dry, but it's not," Polangin said. 

The Bowie City Council recommended disapproval of Yerby's application after staff found that the proposed subdivision subdivision was not in keeping with the 2006 Bowie Master Plan. Some residents also objected to the proposal, saying it was not keeping with the character of the neighborhood and would increase density and traffic in the community.

Polangin, other city council members, city staff and city attorneys plan to attend the hearing on September 26 and participate to the extent possible, though the planning board will not hear any testimony unless the testimony is new.

In a broader effort to address the issue of subdividing lots, County Councilwoman Ingrid Turner (District 4) has also been crafting legislation to deal with the re-subdivision of land.

"It's very important that we lay the ground work so that this doesn't happen again in Bowie," Polangin said. 

Turner recently introduced and ordinance that, if passed, would amend the minimum net lot area in areas zoned R-55 under certain circumstance.

"The legislation’s intent is to preserve the character and green space in existing communities by ensuring the original plan for a neighborhood remains as it was recorded in 1962," Turner said in a letter about the legislation. 

The rehearing on the Buckingham at Belair proposed subdivision is scheduled for 10 a.m. on September 26 in the council's hearing room on the first floor of the County Administration Building.