November 6, 2025


Subject:42-2025 ­- Restore Integrity to Our Planning Process


Dear Chair Burroughs and Members of the County Council,

I am writing in strong support of CB-42-2025, a carefully negotiated and long-needed reform that restores the requirement that development applications conform to our adopted master and sector plans, strengthens public engagement, and brings transparency and accountability to the pre-application process.

For decades, the many Prince George's County residents I know in Oxon Hill, Fort Washington, and Accokeek have raised the same concern: Why do we create master plans if we do not follow them? The PHED Committee's own report confirms that the purpose of CB-42-2025 is to fix precisely this problem by restoring plan-consistency language that was removed in 2024 and returning to the standards the Council had previously approved in CB-003-2023. This legislation directly responds to years of community frustration over substandard development resulting from plans that have policy force but no practical effect when not tied to decision standards.

CB-42-2025 is the product of three separate PHED hearings, multiple stakeholder meetings, and numerous amendments that simplified requirements, clarified definitions, removed mandatory language, and consolidated overlapping Legislative Drafting Requests. The bill now reflects consensus-driven improvements to streamline the entire pre-application process.

Notably, the County Executive now supports the bill as amended, recognizing that it strikes the right balance between improving development review and maintaining appropriate flexibility.

The PHED Committee and the legislative summary also make clear what the bill will accomplish:

·  Require applicants to demonstrate conformance with applicable master plans at both the pre-application and application stages.

·  Strengthen transparency by requiring neighborhood-meeting notices to be publicly searchable and ADA-accessible.

·  Ensure community voice by designating neighborhood-meeting participants who provide contact information as persons of record, closing a long-standing loophole.

·  Improve early alignment through optional informational consultations with Council Members, formalizing a practice already used by applicants while avoiding ex parte concerns.

·  Require plan consistency as a standard of approval for detailed site plans and notable exceptions, restoring the accountability removed in CB-015-2024.

Support for the bill is broad. The Sierra Club testified that CB-42-2025 is essential to protecting Plan 2035, preventing bypassing of the master plan, and ensuring that development reflects the community's vision rather than the path of least resistance. Community testimony also emphasized the importance of fixing the County's inconsistent and outdated public information databases (DARTS, DAMS, DPIE, Planning), and this bill directly responds by creating a consolidated, modernized notice system.

The PHED Committee ultimately voted 3–0 to report CB-42-2025 favorably with amendments, reflecting thoughtful deliberation and broad agreement on the bill's purpose and approach.

CB-42-2025 is a balanced, forward-looking reform that restores the integrity of our planning process, empowers residents, improves access to information, and ensures that the County's vision, articulated in its master plans, actually guides development. I respectfully urge the Council to vote YES on this important legislation.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ron Weiss, President
IHHAAC, Inc.
P.O. Box 44013
Fort Washington, MD 20749

Regional Collaboration Launches Aircraft Noise Survey Residents South of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Invited to Provide Feedback

The South of the Airport air-noise study with recommended design solutions has started.  Additional information about the design project is also available at: https://www.vianair.com/soa/

While it will take several months to complete a design plan, the goal is to present the FAA an actionable plan to reduce noise associated with flights into and out of DCA.

BREAKING: News - Press Release: May 17, 2024 Prince George's County, Fairfax County, and the City of Alexandria

For more information, contact:
Britt Garner, Public Information Officer
Department of the Environment
Bgarner@co.pg.md.us; (301) 883-5985

If you live in Accokeek or Fort Washington and are concerned about the 400 airplanes that travel over our communities daily, this contract should interest you.  - SMFSC

Largo, MD –Prince George's County, Fairfax County, and the City of Alexandria, in partnership with Vianair, have undertaken a significant noise mitigation study focusing on communities south of DCA and along the Potomac River.
The South of Airport Noise Mitigation Study will inform and engage the public and stakeholders about the ongoing efforts to mitigate aircraft noise impacts in communities south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Over the years, increases and other changes in annual operations at DCA have escalated noise impacts in surrounding communities. The collaborative project recognizes DCA's critical role as a regional transportation hub and balances the airport's operational needs with the community's well-being.
Residents are encouraged to submit completed survey responses at forms.office.com/r/7JDAej2Lid. The survey will remain open for two weeks following final community workshop meetings which are tentatively planned to start as soon as June 17. More information will follow regarding meeting dates.

Central to the South of Airport Noise Mitigation project is an unwavering focus on community involvement. "Our approach is one of collaboration and transparency," stated Dawn Hawkins-Nixon, Associate Director of the Sustainability Division for the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment. "We are dedicated to not only exploring technical solutions but also ensuring they resonate with the needs and concerns of our residents."
Building on the success of a similar effort north of DCA, the contracted consulting firm Vianair will explore and recommend changes to flight procedures and airspace management to mitigate noise impacts. Through a concerted effort involving local governments, Vianair Consulting, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and community representatives, this project underscores a shared commitment to finding sustainable solutions.
With the survey phase underway, the Vianair project team will host public meetings during the survey period. Findings and additional community feedback in each impacted jurisdiction are welcomed before, during, and up to 2-weeks after the last community kick-off meeting. These sessions will be crucial in shaping recommendations and ensuring they align with the community's expectations.
Residents are encouraged to stay informed and involved by participating in community engagement activities, reading about noise information at mypgc.us/aircraftnoise, and visiting the project website for updates and details on upcoming community meetings at www.vianair.com/soa.

 Click here to file Noise Complaints: https://viewpoint.emsbk.com/dca3

Stay Updated!

If you'd like to be kept informed about events, news, and research by Southern Maryland Fair Skies, please enter your details below.