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Council takes Lanham drive-thru plan under advisement after traffic and pedestrian safety concerns
Summary
The Prince George's County district council heard a detailed site plan to convert a vacant bank at 9395 Lanham Severn Road into a Dunkin' with a drive-thru; staff and the applicant said on-site safety improvements are proposed, but council members pressed for off-site traffic fixes and asked the applicant to consult the client on restricting left turns from eastbound MD 564.
The district council reviewed detailed site plan DSP-23-034, which would retrofit a 2,427-square-foot vacant bank at 9395 Lanham Severn Road into an eating-and-drinking establishment with a single drive-thru lane and associated site improvements. Park and Planning urban design staff presented the plan and noted the property is a 0.6-acre parcel in the Neighborhood Activity Center zone; the planning board previously approved the application with conditions.
Matthew Tedesco, the applicant's attorney, told the council the project would “reutilize the existing building as an eating or drinking establishment for a Dunkin’,” and described streetscape upgrades including three shade trees along the frontage, 55 shrubs at the street, 34 shrubs around the parking area, ADA ramps, new sidewalks and bike racks. Tedesco also said the project reduces drive-thru lanes from three to one and adds an “8 foot wide crosswalk throughout the parking facility” to improve on-site pedestrian safety.
Council member Olsen pressed the applicant on safety for pedestrians and neighbors at the nearby intersections of Carter Avenue and 94th Avenue, asking whether the applicant had discussed prohibiting left turns from the eastbound lane into the site. Olsen warned that “people are gonna try to take a left across the … road to get into this,” and said that behavior could “only compound the traffic issues.” The applicant said a traffic engineer met with a local resident identified in the record and that information was forwarded to the State Highway Administration, but that the DSP itself does not authorize off-site improvements.
After discussion—including a recommendation from Stan Brown that the council take the matter under advisement so the applicant could consult the client about a left-turn restriction—Council member Olsen directed the item taken under advisement to allow the applicant to report back on whether the client would accept a left-turn prohibition. The council did not adopt a final decision at the hearing; the staff and applicant said they remain willing to coordinate with the State Highway Administration on any off-site safety measures the agency may require.
