Committee approves amended parking minimums for elderly apartment housing

The committee adopted sponsor amendments and voted 5–0 to move CB 47 (an amendment to off‑street parking standards for apartment housing for elderly or physically disabled residents) out of committee with a favorable recommendation.

Staff explained CB 47 would replace a per‑bed parking calculation with a per‑dwelling‑unit standard because counting beds was not appropriate for apartment housing. The sponsor described two primary amendments: reverting to a per‑dwelling‑unit calculation and applying location‑sensitive ratios — 0.60 parking spaces per unit inside the Capital Beltway and 0.66 outside — to reflect differing transit access and walkability. "Amendment 2 recognizes that not every location Prince George's County has the same transportation characteristics," the sponsor said. The redevelopment authority had proposed a multi‑tiered framework; a revenue authority representative urged matching requirements to project context, saying: "This matches parking requirements to actual project context."

The committee also discussed a grandfathering provision protecting projects that received preliminary plan of subdivision approval on or before 09/30/2025; the drafted language ties protections to the standard in effect at the time a project’s preliminary plan was approved. After amendments were offered and moved, the roll call recorded five 'Aye' votes on both the amendment and the motion to move the bill favorably as amended (motions carried 5–0). Supporters said the changes restore historical methodology and improve predictability for applicants while opponents urged careful administration to avoid unintended neighborhood impacts.