Send a message to the Montgomery County Planning Board today to let them know you support a plan that realizes the full potential of a more sustainable, welcoming, and transit-oriented Friendship Heights.
Category: Maryland
TESTIMONY: CSG Support for ADUs in Prince George’s
CSG strongly supports CB 74, to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a matter of right on lots with single-family detached homes.
ACTION ALERT: Support ADUs in Prince George’s
On September 3, 2026, the Prince George’s County Council will consider a bill (CB 74) to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs). This bill is driven by a state law that requires local governments to ease restrictions on ADUs and allow them by right in single family zones. After years of talking about it, now something is finally happening! Send a letter of support to the County Council. Also take a short Council survey on the proposal. Tell them we want ADUs – without a lot of onerous restrictions.
Why we love ADUs
The bill would allow this flexible housing type on a single-family lot, diversifying housing options that can better meet the needs of families and the community. Here are some of the benefits:
- Allows smaller, less costly housing in an existing neighborhood with existing services;
- Helps an aging couple add a dwelling so that their adult children can live on the same lot;
- Enables a family to add a unit for an adult child with a disability, providing both proximity and independence, or provides a caregiver living space;
- Helps a young family cover the costs of homeownership by renting out a backyard cottage or basement apartment.
What’s in the bill
The current bill (CB 74-2026) at a County Council committee will legalize ADUs with reasonable rules — which follow the state law which requires local governments to allow ADUs.
The bill would allow an ADU as a matter of right that:
- Is on the same lot with a single-family detached house;
- Is not greater than 75% of the size of, and is subordinate to the principal house;
- Can be a separate structure (e.g. garage conversion) or an addition to, or inside the existing house (e.g. basement apartment);
- No taller than 22 feet, or shorter than the principal house;
- Does not add more than 900 square feet of lot coverage as an addition to the principal house.
These are basic rules that still allow a one or two story accessory independent living unit that is smaller than the principal single-family detached house. This works!
Beware of excessive restrictions
ADUs are often stymied by excessive regulations such as owner-occupancy requirements, and complicated forms, extra reviews and approvals. Send a letter — say you want to welcome ADUs into Prince George’s neighborhoods, without a lot of onerous restrictions.
Weigh in before the Council’s committee meeting on September 3, 2026
LETTER: CSG and M4All urge veto override for Hedrick appointment
We were deeply disappointed to learn that the County Executive once again plans to veto the appointment of Planning Board Member James Hedrick.
Testimony: Support for Friendship Commons (GEICO Site), Maryland
The Friendship Commons development planned for Friendship Heights’ former GEICO campus will add 500+ homes, 10-foot bikeways and sidewalks, and new businesses and gathering spaces just one block from Metro’s Red Line.
Streamline development review in Prince George’s – reduce uncertainty & excessive process, oppose LDR 153-2026 (Maryland)
July 30, 2026
Prince George’s County Planning Board, M-NCPPC
1616 McCormick Drive, Largo MD Via: pgcpb@mncppc.org
RE: Oppose LDR 153-2026, reduce uncertainty & excessive process
Dear members of the Board:
The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. We also support and work closely with RISE Prince George’s, a group of county residents and allies advocating for policies and practices that build shared, sustainable prosperity in Prince George’s County by creating safe, walkable, inclusive and transit-oriented communities.
On behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, we urge the Planning Board to work with Planning Department staff and County Council members to create better development streamlining procedures instead of supporting this LDR. This LDR lacks legal soundness and misses key issues in improving the county’s development review process.
Prince George’s development review process is out of step with best practices. This harms the county by discouraging competitive, quality developers from wanting to take a chance on the county. It short changes community members who want to see planning turn into quality homes, and mixed use places.
The zoning rewrite was supposed to remove procedural burdens. The key goals of zoning rewrite were to streamline and create predictability. It was supposed to provide clear input from the public at the outset. The new zoning rules require a pre-application meeting with the community which is designed to get stakeholders’ feedback at the beginning of the process — before the development team had invested in costly plans and advanced designs. Before this requirement, the community often found out about a project in their area with a Planning Board hearing notice.
As part of the modernization of the zoning regulations — the zoning rewrite set a clear baseline that could be reviewed administratively. The code was made more regulatory, providing more detailed, form-based standards.
The new zoning code would streamline review with increased public engagement on the front end, followed by administrative, matter-of-right review that did not require additional steps of discretionary or political-level review on the back end. However, the administrative unpredictability was retained through “election to review” or “call up” by the County Council. This meant zoning regulations were more detailed but all the procedural uncertainties remained. This is not the improvement and streamlining we had hoped for.
Far more development review could be done administratively. Detailed Site Plans (DSPs) are often a poor use of everyone’s time. The staff report for LDR 153-2026 recommends exempting single-family detached and three family dwellings from DSP review, citing the negligible value added after a subdivision review, which addresses all the major impacts and requirements. Two-family dwellings could also be grouped with townhouse dwellings and the DSP threshold increased.
Most importantly, retaining the District Council election to review an application or “call up” — stands out as a major impediment to predictability for the review process. The public engagement is on the front side of planning and individual projects. Call up generates uncertainty on the back end that takes applicable laws, zoning regulations, and master plan recommendations into a political realm. If the county cannot catch up to other jurisdictions by eliminating call up, it should at least set new parameters around it to limit the downsides of this approach.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Cort
DC & Prince George’s Policy Director
ACTION ALERT: This office campus can become a transit-oriented community
The Friendship Commons development planned for Friendship Heights’ former GEICO campus could add 500+ homes, 10-foot bikeways and sidewalks, and new businesses and gathering spaces just one block from Metro’s Red Line.
TESTIMONY: Support for Metro Grove apartment complex (Maryland)
This worthy project will bring 250 affordable apartment homes to a site that is only a quarter mile walk to the Suitland Metro Station. This is a great place to build new homes for people who could save money by relying on riding Metro, and the major bus lines on Silver Hill Road.
All Things Montgomery: June 2026 ☀️
Although Montgomery County’s primary election is now behind us (find the most current results here!), the action is not slowing down in July.
Crucial work on several master plans in the county continues apace.
Comments: Support for Missing Middle Housing Study (Prince George’s County)
We wish to express our enthusiasm for the county’s innovative missing middle study to address the housing needs of a range of residents. This effort will investigate how to broaden housing options to ensure Prince George’s is a great place to grow up, enjoy young adulthood, raise a family, and age in the community.