Bowie council unanimously opposes Dew Drive connection for Redeem Christian Church subdivision

The Bowie City Council voted unanimously to oppose an extension of Dew Drive to serve eight residential lots included in Prince George’s County preliminary plan of subdivision PPS4‑23041, a plan tied to a larger institutional parcel for Redeem Christian Church of God.

The preliminary plan covers roughly 31.5 acres southeast of the Mount Oak–Church Road intersection, outside the city limits but abutting the City of Bowie. The application included parcel A for an institutional use (the church) and a separate parcel for eight single‑family lots that would extend Dew Drive — a narrow residential street inside Bowie — into the new subdivision. County staff and the planning board approved the PPS with conditions; condition 5A asked the applicant to meet with the city on maintenance and services for the Dew Drive extension and required city concurrence if the county were to expect the city’s systems (trash, snow removal, maintenance) to serve the extended roadway.

Why it matters: neighbors said the Dew Drive connection would increase traffic, threaten tree buffers, and reduce neighborhood safety and property values. Residents and the Woodmore Estates Homeowners Association urged the council to refuse the connection and asked the city to protect the existing wooded buffer and narrow residential character.

Applicant and staff summaries Paul Jackson, counsel for the applicant (Redeem Christian Church), described why the applicant sought access via Dew Drive rather than directly on Mount Oak Road: engineering studies cited intersection sight‑distance issues and offsets that made a Mount Oak entrance unsafe. Ashley Diaz, the city’s sustainability manager, summarized the planning board approval and the county’s condition that required the applicant to obtain agreements about maintenance and access with the city and with county public works.

Public comments and council reaction Dozens of residents — including longtime Dew Drive and Woodmore Estates homeowners — spoke in opposition. Resident Derek Plummer said the applicant and representatives showed “a contempt for the residents of Woodmore Estates,” citing failed traffic studies and environmental concerns. Woodmore Estates HOA president George Oyagoke urged the council to maintain the wooded fence line and to refuse any connection that would remove existing forest and invite additional traffic. Other speakers cited emergency response and flooding concerns, loss of mature trees, and the proximity of many existing churches in the area.

Council action Councilman Truesdale moved to oppose the requested access to Dew Drive for PPS4‑23041; Council member Brady seconded. Council voted unanimously to block the connection. City discussion noted that if the city declines the requested connection, the residential portion may remain an outparcel and the applicant would need to submit a revised preliminary plan showing access from Mount Oak Road (a future county process), as noted in the county staff report.

Clarifying details from the meeting - The county planning board approved the PPS with conditions but required coordination with the city on maintenance and access for Dew Drive (condition 5A). - Residents and city speakers said traffic studies submitted with the application failed multiple internal steps and that the plan proposes off‑site woodland mitigation rather than preserving on‑site woodland.

Ending The council’s unanimous vote blocks the county plan’s requested connection into a Bowie residential street; the developer may either pursue alternatives that access Mount Oak Road or keep the residential area as an outparcel pending further county review.