Mansionization in Prince George's County

From email:

From Samuel J. Parker, Jr.,Chairman, Prince George 's County Planning Board

Are you familiar with the terms "McMansion" or "Mansionization"? What about infill development? Do you have any concerns related to infill development in your community/jurisdiction?

This issue, which has received a great deal of public attention across the nation, is one that the Prince George 's County Planning Board is also concerned about. Here at the Planning Board we have begun looking, more in-depth, at how Mansionization, (the phenomenon characterized by the construction of unusually large homes replacing smaller homes in an existing neighborhood or homes that are incompatible with the character of an existing neighborhood), is impacting our community locally.

Therefore, the Prince George's County Planning Board invites you to participate in a public forum to discuss Mansionization issues in Prince George's County, scheduled Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in the Prince George's County Parks and Recreation Administration Building, located at 6600 Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale.

This meeting is part of a larger Study that has been launched by the Planning Board to address many of the concerns surrounding this issue. Community concerns surrounding Mansionization include perceptions of negative impacts on a neighborhood's character, negative economic impacts (i.e. higher taxes, forcing out older residents), and concerns surrounding the achievement of a proper balance between protecting property rights verses conserving the character of established neighborhoods and the community as a whole. Through this Study, the Planning Board hopes to examine the impacts of this issue on our local communities and work with you, as one of our community stakeholders, to identify the major concerns and solutions for resolving them.

Attached to this letter is a formal flyer announcing this public meeting, which is the first in a series of public forums planned to address the issue of Mansionization in Prince George 's County. We hope this will be a learning experience for everyone concerned and affected by this issue, and believe that the information we obtain through these meetings will be vital to future decision-making around this issue.

We look forward to hearing your concerns and suggestions at the upcoming meeting but ask that you do not wait to attend the meeting to offer your feedback. You can begin to contribute immediately by completing the attached four-question survey and either mailing it to us, or logging onto our website to complete and submit electronically. You can also bring the survey with you to the meeting on August 22.

We hope to see you on August 22 as we begin discussions with interested parties throughout the region on "Mansionization in Prince George 's County." To RSVP or get more information, contact the Prince George 's County Planning Board Office at 301- 952-3560, or e-mail, PublicAffairs@ppd.mncppc.org.