Sept. 11, The Prince George’s County Planning Board endorsed a version of a plan for development in the West Hyattsville area that would no longer recommend re-zoning neighborhoods to allow townhomes. 

One of the communities most affected by this change was Avondale, a historic neighborhood off of Chillum Road that opposed its abrupt inclusion in the plan’s third draft at a joint public hearing back on July 1, where 14 people spoke and 91 submitted testimony.

“We heard strong support for the plan’s overall comprehensive approach,” said Thomas Lester, a county planner, “particularly its focus on expanding housing options, improving walkability and bike access and strengthening connections to the metro station.”

Avondale neighborhood opposes townhomes

Among those who spoke July 1 was Avondale/ North Woodridge Citizens Association President Pat Padua, who brought 100 signatures from members of the community opposing the rezoning changes to Avondale.

Avondale was added to the rezoning plans with the third draft after not being included in the previous two, according to Padua. He along with other members of the community expressed strong opposition to the plan in July, stating that their community was not notified of the decision to rezone until May 2025.

“The Avondale/North Woodridge community wholeheartedly opposes this rezoning and we ask that Avondale be removed from this rezoning plan,” he said in a written statement to the county council.

At the September 11 meeting, Lester was quick to acknowledge that there were criticisms of the plan. “Some testimony raised concerns that the outreach process overlooked established homeowners most directly affected and instead focused on newer or outside residents,” Lester added.

Earlier drafts recommended rezoning for townhome development in neighborhoods near Avondale, such as Queens Chapel Manor. The third draft recommended townhome development across Queens-Chapel and into the Avondale neighborhood off Chillum Road as well.

Neighborhood left out of process

Padua said that not only were they not notified, but that other surrounding communities were.

“It was my understanding that other neighborhoods got more outreach from various outlets,” he said. “They got more outreach from the county, they got a workshop and an open house.”

As for why they were not included in the process, Padua said he believes it was a general lack of communication between the Community Planning Division and the Prince George’s County Councilmember for District 2, Wanika B. Fisher.

He said that Fisher and her team were generally unresponsive to questions. He mentioned this barrier when recalling the meetings they had with members of the community planning division following the initial notice.

“They seemed surprised that our council member didn’t reach out to us,” he said.

Council member taken by surprise

In an interview with Council Member Fisher, she stressed that she heard the concerns of Avondale residents, but had no involvement in the decisions of the planning board during this phase of the process. She was also surprised with the community’s abrupt inclusion, she said.

“For me, hindsight is always 20-20,” she explained. “I would have probably done even more advocacy with them to let them know that the change was happening but it was a shock to me because their zoning never changed in all of their iterations of the draft,” she continued.

She also said that she plans to hear and discuss their concerns further when the decision comes to the council. 

“I’ll see what park and planning does in their next draft, but I will react to the residents’ concerns once it is handed over to me,” she said.

Although Padua said he and his neighbors were frustrated with how this process went this summer, they are happy with the division’s recommendation to halt rezoning.

“It’s a great relief,” he said.

Supporting affordable housing 

At the Sept. 11 county planning board meeting, Justin Thornton, another county planner, explained the halting of rezoning for all single family home areas that would have been changed to accommodate townhomes. He said that this is mainly because the entire area is currently going through a Missing Middle Housing Study that is not complete.

“This will give us clearer, data-driven guidance on how to introduce more housing diversity while maintaining stable neighborhoods,” he said about the plan to wait for results of the study.

Thornton recommended that the board encourage the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to use the county’s right of first refusal program. The program requires any property owner looking to sell an apartment property with 20 units or more to notify DHCD of this intention. 

DHCD can then decide to purchase the property or convey its rights to a third party in order to maintain its affordability. According to Thornton, this could help preserve affordability for low-to-moderate income households in the area.

Seeking historic designation

Thorton also suggested seeking to reclassify the Avondale Grove and Terrace subdivisions as a historic district. This would involve working with the county executive office, Historic Preservation Section of the Prince George’s County Planning Department and the County Council.

“Pursuing designation would help safeguard the neighborhood’s character,” he said.

Padua and many of his neighbors are in favor of this decision, as it will help protect the community from future rezoning.

“It wouldn’t necessarily stop rezoning,” he said, “ but it would require plans to be approved by the county historic preservation board.”

He said that the community deserves this distinction, as it was the last project developed by influential real estate developer Harry Wardman. Padua said that the community remains a part of Wardman’s legacy and deserves to be preserved based on that.

What will happen next?

The board then moved to endorse, with amendments, the third draft of the West Hyattsville-Queens Chapel Sector plan as well as the Proposed Sectional Map Amendment. Following the county planning board’s endorsement, according to Lester, the next step in the process will be a series of District Council work sessions, starting in October.

The county council, sitting as the District Council, is expected to approve the plan in November 2025.