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Board approves driveway and lot variances for Hyattsville property after prior denial and court appeal
Summary
The Prince George's County Board of Appeals unanimously approved variances and a parking-location waiver for a driveway at a Hyattsville property. Petitioners argued the lot is uniquely disadvantaged compared with 41 similar parcels in the neighborhood; staff found two prior variance records in the area.
The Prince George's County Board of Appeals on Sept. 10 approved variances requested by Monica Kwashi (petition listed as Modica/Monica Kwashi) for property described in the filing as 7917/20 Fourth Place in Hyattsville to permit a 16-by-20-foot driveway and validate existing lot width/frontage conditions.
The petitioner requested relief for a 24-foot lot width and a 12-foot lot frontage, and a waiver of the parking-area location requirement to place an on-site driveway within the four-corner footprint of the house. The board approved the request 3-0.
Why it matters: the petitioner told the board she has lived in the house since 1995 and that her grandson provides transportation to medical appointments; she described repeated vehicle vandalism when forced to park off-site. Counsel and the petitioner argued 41 otherwise identical houses in the immediate neighborhood have driveways located within their front corners, and that the subject parcel is the only one without such parking.
Earlier proceedings: the petitioner said a previous Board of Appeals denied the request and a subsequent appeal to the circuit court failed because it was filed late. Board staff reported two prior variance files nearby: V1213 (granted for 2418 Kirsten Street) and an attempted V2524 (7909/920 Fifth Avenue) that was denied on grounds of self-inflicted hardship.
During questioning board members pressed the petitioner on whether the lot is topographically unique. The petitioner’s team acknowledged uncertainty about whether the other properties obtained permits or created private driveways without permits; they presented photographs and State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) imagery to show existing driveways on comparable lots.
Vice Chair Johnston moved to approve the variance; Member Stanton seconded. The board recorded aye votes from Chair Boulware, Vice Chair Johnston and Member Stanton and approved the request 3-0. Board staff said they would follow up on any remaining documentation required for permit issuance.
The petitioner’s case record indicates this matter had been continued previously and that the applicant provided neighborhood mapping and photographic evidence to support the uniqueness claim.
