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A RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE BOWIE-MITCHELLVILLE AND VICINITY MASTER PLANS for the purpose of approving, with certain revisions herein that are based on the joint public hearing record of testimony, as an Act of the County Council of Prince George’s County, sitting as the District Council for that part of the Maryland-Washington Regional District in Prince George’s County, the Bowie-Mitchellville and Vicinity Master Plan, approving therein a new vision to guide future growth and redevelopment for Planning Areas 71A (Bowie and Vicinity), 71B (City of Bowie), 74A (Mitchellville and Vicinity), and 74B (Collington and Vicinity); an area generally defined by the Patuxent Research Refuge to the north, MD 193 (Enterprise Road/Watkins Park Drive) to the west, Leeland Road/Queen Anne Road to the south, and the Patuxent River to the east, including the entire City of Bowie and the portions of the unincorporated communities of Mitchellville and Collington. The Master Plan includes the Plan Prince George’s 2035 (Plan 2035)-designated Bowie Local Town Center and Bowie State University MARC Campus Center, Old Town Bowie, the Collington Local Employment Area, and the MD 450, MD 197, and US 301/MD 3 corridors.
Background
This Resolution will approve the Bowie-Mitchellville and Vicinity Master Plan, as an Act of the District Council, with certain revisions, as permitted expressly by law as set forth in Section 27-646(c)(1)(B) of the County Zoning Ordinance. It was drafted at the direction of the Council sitting as the Committee of the Whole, on February 17, 2022, after conducting two duly-advertised public work sessions to review the transcript analysis, staff digest of testimony, and Planning Board action on the proposed master plan on January 25 and February 17, respectively.
Based on the discussions during the work sessions concerning the testimony and analyses within the public record, the direction of the Committee included preparation of certain revisions to the text of the adopted Master Plan, to include: changes to the boundary of the Bowie Local Town Center; alterations to future land use/development and comprehensive zoning recommendations for stated properties; revisions to the planning and implementation of various transportation projects within the Bowie Local Town Center, as well as along certain major Maryland transportation corridors within the plan area; clarifications of the policy to develop/designate a cohesive regional recreation area within the plan area; refinements to policy/funding targeted at invasive insect species in the natural environment; and elucidations of policy as to the development of certain recreational facilities in the plan area.
In addition, and pursuant to the Court of Appeals of Maryland’s ruling in Chaney Enterprises v. Prince George’s County, the Council’s favorable motion to prepare this Resolution included direction for the Clerk of the Council to transmit the draft Resolution to the Prince George’s County Planning Board for review and comment prior to action on this legislation by the Council. The Planning Board took this matter up at its March 3, 2022, public meeting, and provided their comments as required by law.
Upon adoption, this Resolution will approve the Bowie-Mitchellville and Vicinity Master Plan, as final action on the master plan. In turn, initiation of a corresponding Sectional Map Amendment process is planned for the purpose of proposing detailed comprehensive zoning proposals for all property located within the plan area.