From the Office of Council Member Tom Dernoga October 2026
Subregion 1 Minor Plan Amendment Adopted
At the time this was submitted, the Subregion 1 Minor Plan Amendment (MPA) and the Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) were scheduled for adoption on Tuesday, October 27th, and I expect that to have occurred.
Based on the substantial amount of community input I have received over the past 15 months; I have been working with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to finalize the amendments. There are dozens of policy updates to the Master Plan text (some fairly minor and nothing truly earth-shattering) and 10 zoning changes. These amendments focus on future development and infrastructure in and around Konterra and north Beltsville. Key revisions or clarifications include reducing residential growth along the Ammendale Road corridor and also ensuring that provision for employment development does not open the door for data center development. Five of the zoning changes merely involved M-NCPPC or County-owned land being changed to Reserved Open Space (ROS). The full SMA report on the rezonings, including maps, is at tinyurl.com/Sub1MPAFinal.
Two significant rezonings involved Konterra South, which is between Ammendale Road and the ICC. 306.73 acres were rezoned from Rural Residential (RR) to Industrial/Employment (IE) to expand the Konterra business campus to take advantage of proximity to I-95 and the ICC. The IE zone is for light industrial uses. This property could have been developed with about 650 homes. In addition, 20.99 acres directly adjacent to this property were downzoned from RR to Agricultural and Preservation (AG), in order to preserve significant natural resources and the County’s ecological balance. The Master Plan text requires wider stream buffers to expand separation for Franklin Farms.
The Tidler-Wardlaw properties (8.01 acres) at the corner of Old Gunpowder Road and Powder Mill Road were rezoned from Commercial, General and Office (CGO) to IE, to expand opportunities for research and development, and create employment opportunities along the I-95 corridor. Previously, there were unwanted attempts to develop these properties as apartments or townhouses.
For both of the rezoning to IE, I inserted into the Master Plan text and the SMA that "based on public testimony" these properties "shall not be a location for data centers." M-NCPPC fought me over this, arguing that a Master Plan cannot prohibit a use permitted within its zone. There is legal support to allow for this if County law provides for it. M-NCPPC argued that County law did not allow for Master Plans to override the zoning... so I quickly amended a bill that restricts data center development to also prevent data centers on certain properties if there is a conflict with the local Master Plan.
The final two zoning changes relate to the former Spicknall property. We have long been concerned that a developer would bring residential or data center development. A member of the BAPS Hindu temple bought the land from a residential developer and is proposing a religious campus with various community-oriented amenities. While most of the Spicknall property was zoned RR, 20.92 acres were zoned AG, and this would have complicated campus development. Therefore, these 20.92 acres were rezoned to RR like the rest of the Spicknall property. On the other hand, the BAPS temple property is 10.06 acres zoned CGO, which allows for apartments, townhouses, or retail. Even though BAPS had no intention of residential or commercial development, I did not want to take a chance, and it seemed like a fair action in light of the upzoning of the 20.92 acres zoned AG. In the end, all of the BAPS properties will be zoned RR and used for a religious campus.
The Master Plan and SMA text were amended to include provisions to encourage the BAPS development to provide public benefits, such as recreation multi-use fields, playgrounds, trails, and community garden space.
Apart from these rezoning items, Master Plan policies addressed increased need for transit and bike options, continuing the intent for single-family detached housing in Konterra along Old Gunpowder Road, limiting big-box retail in Konterra Town Center West, and much more.
PGCPS Listening Tour
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is developing an updated Educational Facilities Master Plan (EFMP), a 10-year plan to guide decisions for school facilities. This takes into account trends in population and enrollment, current building conditions, and the general needs of the school community to shape a long-term vision. To ensure sufficient community input, PGCPS is hosting a Listening Tour with a session in each Board of Education district.
Beltsville schools fall within Board of Education District 1. The District 1 session will be held on Thursday, November 12th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Laurel High School, 8000 Cherry Lane, Laurel, 20707. Take this opportunity to share your feedback and register to attend at tinyurl.com/D1EFMPTour.
Support Families in Need for Thanksgiving Locally
With Thanksgiving around the corner, this is a perfect time to give back to community members in need. Please read below about how you can support various organizations across Beltsville.
The Beltsville Adventist Community Center (BACC) houses a food pantry and accepts donations of canned goods only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. They are located at 4220 Ammendale Road. Please consider donating to support BACC’s operations.
The LindaBen Foundation, located at 10739 Tucker Street, serves community members through a variety of services, including a Community Food Hub, which is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM and Saturdays from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Visit lindabenfoundation.org/en/community-pantry to sign up for volunteer shifts to support the Community Food Hub.
The Lifehouse Church at 12304 Baltimore Avenue operates a food pantry every 2nd and 4th Monday from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. They are in need of volunteers on these days to pack food boxes, direct traffic, set up, clean up, organize shelves, and more. Email info@mylifehouse.church to sign up to volunteer.
If you are in need of food assistance or a Thanksgiving meal, please contact our team.
Contact Us
Please keep in touch by emailing us at councildistrict1@co.pg.md.us or calling 301-952-3887.
Comments