Council limits new restaurant drive-throughs in residential areas (CB 69)

Prince George's County adopted CB 69 on Nov. 18, a measure intended to limit the locations of quick-service restaurant drive-throughs. Sponsors and supporters framed the bill as a tool to protect walkability, reduce traffic conflicts and reduce cumulative health and pollution impacts in residential and transit areas.

Community speakers described local cases where proposed drive-throughs raised safety concerns at high-injury intersections and in neighborhoods with schools nearby. "We asked that the council support this bill to ensure that development reviews adequately consider the impacts of fast-food drive-throughs on health, road safety and the environment," said one resident who worked on local appeals.

Industry representatives, including the Restaurant Association of Maryland, expressed concern about vague terms and asked for a longer phase-in for projects already invested in the pipeline, including a request to extend the plan-application grandfathering date by three months.

After discussion and amendments to clarify certain exceptions and a special-exception path for some commercial zones, the council voted. Several members praised the compromise approach that allows scrutiny of high-impact drive-through proposals while permitting limited pickup windows for certain businesses. The clerk announced the motion carried 6-3-1.

The ordinance limits future drive-throughs in residential and specific transit-adjacent zones and requires special exceptions and public review for qualifying commercial proposals, creating an additional procedural hurdle for drive-through applicants.