Prince George’s County Board of Appeals denies one driveway variance, approves five other variances

The Prince George’s County Board of Appeals on March 26 denied a request to validate an already‑constructed driveway apron in Laurel but approved five other variance requests involving garages, driveways, fences and an existing commercial building footprint.

Board members denied Joanna Estevez’s request to validate a completed driveway extension at 13206 Claxton Drive, Laurel, finding the work was “self‑inflicted” because it was done without required permits. Vice Chair Johnston moved to deny the variance for not meeting the board’s six statutory criteria; Member Stanton seconded the motion and the board voted 3‑0 to deny the request.

The board approved a 30‑by‑30 storage garage and driveway extension variance for Lewis and Barbara Tucker at 1811 Billings Avenue, Capitol Heights; approved driveway, shed and yard variances for Dennis and Ratna (Veronica) DeRosario at 600‑330 Seventh Avenue, Hyattsville; approved a fence height and related variances for Nora Castro at 4712 Montgomery Place, Beltsville; approved a rear setback variance to validate existing conditions for Rahimi Investments at 7755 Landover Road; and approved a variance to replace an existing deck at 6006 Queens Chapel Road, Hyattsville, after the city of Hyattsville provided a support letter. Each approval carried on a 3‑0 roll call.

Why it matters: Board variance decisions determine whether property owners may deviate from zoning rules such as setback, lot coverage or parking requirements. Denials based on work completed without permits send a reminder that owning or hiring contractors to perform work before securing permits can bar relief from zoning rules.

What the board said and why

Jo…