Developers present plan for 297 single‑family homes at former Freeway Airport; council hears briefing

Freeway Realty representatives and city planning staff presented a preliminary plan of subdivision for the former Freeway Airport to the Bowie City Council on April 7, 2025, describing a proposal for 297 single‑family detached homes on about 131.5 acres west of Church Road and south of U.S. Route 50.

City planning director Richard Hall summarized the application and its history, saying, “What is proposed is 297 single family detached units on 131.5 acres.” Hall noted the site is outside the Bowie city limits and described the project’s planning history, including a prior approval for a larger 509‑unit scheme and a subsequently recorded covenant that limits development to single‑family detached units and a maximum of 297 homes.

Attorney Robert Antonetti, representing the applicant Freeway Realty, said the current plan reflects negotiated changes with neighborhood stakeholders. “This application is the byproduct of that compromise and consensus,” he told council. He and the project team described street layouts, a shared‑use path network, and recreational open spaces included in the preliminary plan.

Staff and the applicant told council the project would set aside roughly 44 acres for woodland conservation and about 41 percent of the site as open space outside lots and streets. Traffic engineers said the application passed county adequacy tests, and the project team said the main entrance on Church Road would be signalized; a secondary northern entrance would be right‑in/right‑out only. Traffic consultant Mike Lenhart said the signal warranted study supported installation and that queuing analyses showed left‑turn queues would not block adjacent intersections.

Planning staff summarized findings from the Planning Board, which asked that future staff reports show how much is being collected in impact fees. Hall said the subdivision will generate roughly $9 million in impact fees, with about $6 million earmarked for schools and about $1 million for public safety, figures that were discussed at the Planning Board meeting.

Council members asked about local traffic impacts, channelization at the right‑in/right‑out access, remediation of possible leftover fueling tanks, street trees and frontage improvements. Antonetti and the project team said they would address channelization and design details during detailed site plan reviews and that any underground tanks would be removed and remediated per regulations.

Because the property is outside Bowie’s limits and the matter was presented as a preliminary plan, council did not take formal action and no vote was required. Council members thanked the applicant and community participants for working toward a mutual agreement and asked staff to keep the council informed as the project moves through county review and any required detailed site plan approvals.