Prince George’s County district council waives review on multiple zoning and site-plan items, defers several matters

Prince George’s County Council, sitting as a district council, waived its right to review multiple zoning and detailed site-plan matters and deferred several others during its Sept. 8, 2025 meeting in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The council recorded unanimous roll-call votes to waive review on several items that had been approved with conditions by Park and Planning technical staff and the Planning Board. Council members also deferred a handful of cases and set a future date for oral argument or hearings where appeals were pending.

Waivers and votes at the meeting related to special-exception and detailed-site-plan (DSP) applications for developments across the county. The council voted to waive review — effectively forgoing an additional district-council-level review — for the following matters after staff and the Planning Board had approved the projects with conditions:

- SE22007, Gaslight 3 surface mine (applicant: Holsammar Inc.) — waiver of council review recorded as a unanimous roll-call “aye.” - DSP19021-02, South Lake Commercial Phase 1 (Southlake Commercial LLC) — waiver recorded unanimous “aye.” - DSP22043-03, Milford Mansions (Saint John’s Properties) — waiver recorded unanimous “aye.” - DSP25007, Walker Mill Business Park Lot 15 (Rochelle LLC) — waiver recorded unanimous “aye.”

Several other items were discussed and either deferred by agreement or scheduled for later hearing dates rather than acted on by roll-call vote. Those included:

- DSP16039, Forestville Center (NSR Petro Services LLC): council discussion included the possibility of adding the item to a district council session the following Tuesday; the item was to be handled at a later date and no roll-call vote on waiver was recorded during this meeting. - DSP23018, Royal USA Tours (El Shamai Hazim M) — the council agreed to defer the matter; staff indicated no formal motion was required for the deferral. - DSP22001 (Reman McDonald’s, Ager Road) — the item was listed with an upcoming hearing or argument date; the council did not take final action at the Sept. 8 meeting. - SC22002 (Reman Stewart Properties planned retirement community) — administrative history and appeal filings were noted; no district-council action was taken.

The meeting opened with roll call and approval of the district council minutes dated July 8, 2025. Council member Watson moved to approve the minutes; Council member Olson seconded. A roll-call vote was recorded as unanimous “aye,” and the motion carried 10-0.

The council’s procedural votes to waive review were presented as motions and seconded where recorded; each waiver motion that received a roll-call vote passed unanimously with all present council members recorded as voting “aye.” Several deferrals were handled administratively with staff and members agreeing on future scheduling rather than through a formal roll-call vote.

Why this matters: waivers of district-council review let projects approved by Park and Planning staff and the Planning Board proceed without the additional layer of district-council scrutiny. For the affected properties — which include commercial developments, industrial/maintenance facilities, and a proposed surface mine — the waivers speed the local approval timeline unless another party successfully pursues an appeal or requests oral argument.

Details by item (selected):

- SE22007 (Gaslight 3 surface mine) — Applicant: Holsammar Inc.; site described as on the south side of MD 373, approximately 6,260 feet west of McKendree Road; site area cited as 32.32802 acres; requested special exception under SE-4651 for expanding a surface mining operation (sand and gravel); appeal-by date listed as 08/18/2025, review-by date 09/18/2025. The zoning hearing examiner and Park and Planning staff had approved the application with conditions prior to the district-council meeting. Council member Harrison moved to waive council review; Council member Fisher seconded; roll-call vote recorded unanimous “aye.”

- DSP16039 (Forestville Center) — Applicant: NSR Petro Services LLC; site on the south side of Maryland Route (Maryville Pike) near Pumbry Drive; site area cited 1.37 acres; zones and prior zones referenced; staff and the Planning Board had approved with conditions. A speaker indicated a desire to “make a motion to defer” and members discussed adding a district-council session the following Tuesday (the 16th) to hear the matter; no roll-call waiver vote was recorded at the Sept. 8 meeting.

- DSP19021-02 (South Lake Commercial Phase 1) — Applicant: Southlake Commercial LLC; site on the west side of US 301 (Robert Crain Highway) at Market Place Boulevard; site area cited as 59.83 acres; Planning Board and staff approvals with conditions were on record. Council member Watson moved to waive council review; Council member Fisher seconded; roll-call vote recorded unanimous “aye.”

- DSP22043-03 (Milford Mansions) — Applicant: Saint John’s Properties; site at Curry Drive and Lake Milford Avenue in the municipality of Bowie; request sought to revise a DSP condition changing the timing for construction of a plaza amenity from before the fourth residential building permit to before the fifth; Planning Board and staff approvals with conditions were noted. Council member Watson moved to waive council review; Council member Fisher seconded; roll-call vote recorded unanimous “aye.”

- DSP23018 (Royal USA Tours) — Applicant: El Shamai Hazim M; site on Hazelwood Drive in the municipality of Capitol Heights; request for a bus maintenance and operations facility, with hours and operational limits described in the staff summary (facility to be enclosed, not open to general public, hours 6 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday–Friday and reduced weekend hours; overnight parking of buses noted). The vice chair asked to defer the matter; staff indicated a deferral did not require a motion and the item was postponed for later handling.

- DSP25007 (Walker Mill Business Park Lot 15) — Applicant: Rochelle LLC; site at Rochelle Avenue and Hazelwood Drive in Capitol Heights; proposed two-phase industrial development including contractor office and outdoor storage, with landscaping buffer; staff and Planning Board approvals with conditions were noted. The vice chair moved to waive council review; seconded by Council member Fisher; roll-call recorded unanimous “aye.”

Administrative and appeal notices recorded at the meeting included listed appeal and review deadlines for several matters and notations of persons of record or parties who had filed appeals or exceptions (where noted in staff summaries). Several items remain subject to appeal, oral argument requests, or future district-council scheduling.

The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn moved by Council member Watson, seconded by Council member Hawkins, and carried by voice vote.

Adjournment and next steps: several matters were deferred or scheduled for later hearings; some appeals and oral-argument requests remain active. The district council’s waivers will allow the affected projects to proceed through the administrative pipeline unless an appeal yields a different result or a party successfully requests further review.