District council hears oral argument on amended Popeyes site plan in Brandywine

The Prince George's County District Council on March 10, 2025 heard oral argument on an amended detailed site plan (DSP-19031-02) from 3 Roads Corner LLC to add Parcel 3 for a 2,923-square-foot eating-and-drinking establishment with drive-through service at Old Brandywine Road in Council District 9. The planning board approved the amended application and adopted resolution numbers referenced in the record; no final council action was recorded at the hearing.

Park and Planning staff member Emery Wang (Urban Design Section) summarized the application, its location on approximately 4.427 acres on the west side of Old Brandywine Road, and the administrative history. Wang said the planning board initially approved the detailed site plan on April 24, 2024 and adopted a final resolution on May 16, 2024; following a limited remand the applicant submitted a revised DSP that the planning board approved on Nov. 14, 2024 (resolution 2024-029A, as described in the record).

Applicant attorney Abdullah Hejazi told the council the remand was limited to "cleaning up" voluminous, unfulfilled conditions and urged the council to affirm the planning board—s decision. Hejazi described that referral agencies recommended approval or raised no objections and that conditions 4 and 5, which the applicant says must be completed after approval, remain in place.

An attorney for the People—s Zoning Council (Mr. Brown) told the council the planning-board record was largely in order but flagged a compliance issue: preliminary plan condition number 7 requires development to conform to an approved stormwater management concept plan. Brown said the plan listed in the record expired on June 11, 2024, and recommended that any council approval include a condition requiring an approved stormwater management plan prior to certification or the issuance of permits.

Council member Harrison spoke at length about community concerns, saying some neighbors oppose additional fast-food outlets and suggesting the county consider a health-impact analysis as part of zoning review when proposals may increase concentrations of fast-food uses. Harrison said he would "take [the matter] under advisement," but no formal vote on DSP-19031-02 appears in the hearing transcript.

What happened next: the record shows the applicant and planning staff answering technical questions on architecture, lighting, tree conservation and access. At the end of the oral argument segment the council did not enter a final decision on the amended DSP during this session.

Why this matters: the case raises standard land-use issues (remand and condition compliance, stormwater management) and community concerns about the local mix of commercial uses. The People—s Zoning Council asked for an explicit condition tying approval to an updated stormwater plan; council discussion also touched on cumulative neighborhood health concerns arising from concentrations of fast-food establishments.

Additional details from the record: the application amends an earlier DSP that approved development on Parcels 1 and 4 (a 3,484-square-foot food-and-beverage store, a gas station and a 982-square-foot car-wash facility were described in the record for those parcels). DSP-19031-02 proposes a 2,923-square-foot building on Parcel 3; key administrative dates mentioned in the record include an appeal-by date of Jan. 9, 2025 and action-by date of March 28, 2025. Planning-board resolutions cited in the presentation include resolution 2024-029 and the amended resolution 2024-029A.

Speakers and roles recorded in the hearing: Emery Wang (Urban Design Section, Prince George's County Planning Department); Abdullah Hejazi (attorney for applicant 3 Roads Corner LLC); Nicholas Speech (engineer, referenced by counsel for the applicant); Mr. Brown (attorney for People—s Zoning Council); Council member Harrison (Prince George's County Council member). The transcript contains additional councilmember roll-call and procedural remarks but no final council vote on this DSP during the March 10 session.

Next steps: the council record indicates an action-by date (March 28, 2025) for the case; any written order or later action would appear in the council—s subsequent proceedings and the record.