Keep Accokeek Green
Community Update — February 2026
Signature Club East Development (CSP-23002)
Dear Keep Accokeek Green Supporters,
Thank you for standing with us. Your signatures, your voices at hearings, and your commitment to protecting our community have made a real difference. Here's where we stand and what comes next.
What Just Happened
On January 15, 2026, the Planning Board once again approved the developer's proposal to clear 13.32 acres of woodland on a 16.90-acre property at 340 E. Manning Road to build up to 300 apartment units and 12,600 square feet of commercial space — this despite the District Council previously sending the case back to the Planning Board in October 2025 with specific questions and concerns that needed to be addressed.
Our legal team has filed an appeal. On February 19, 2026, our attorney Alex Votaw filed Written Exceptions and a Request for Oral Argument before the Prince George's County Council, sitting as the District Council. This means the Council will review the Planning Board's decision again — and we believe the legal record is on our side.
The developer also filed its own response on February 20, 2026. Notably, the developer now wants to switch the proposal to 160 townhomes instead of 300 apartments — an admission that the original plan doesn't fit our community. But the Planning Board refused to even consider that change.
Why This Fight Matters
This isn't just about one development. It's about whether the rules that are supposed to protect our forests and our community character actually mean anything. Here's what's at stake:
🌳 13 Acres of Protected Forest Could Be Destroyed
The woodland on this property wasn't just random forest. It was officially designated as a preservation area by previous development plans — meaning it was supposed to be protected permanently. The developer used that preserved woodland to reduce its obligations elsewhere, and now a new developer wants to come in and clear it all, offering only 1.61 acres of off-site replacement. That's like borrowing against a promise and then breaking it.
📜 The Law Is Clear — The Developer Is Trying to Create a Loophole
Prince George's County's Woodland Conservation Ordinance (WCO) distinguishes between woodland that is "preserved" (protected to meet conservation requirements) and woodland that is "retained but assumed cleared" (temporarily kept but expected to be developed later). The prior plans clearly labeled this forest as preserved — not temporary. If this developer is allowed to clear designated preservation areas without consequence, it sets a precedent that any developer in the county can game the system: designate woodland as "preserved" to get lower mitigation requirements today, then come back tomorrow and destroy it.
🏘️ A 4-5 Story Apartment Complex Doesn't Belong in Our Semi-Rural Community
Accokeek is a community of single-family homes and townhomes. There is no comparable four-story development anywhere in the vicinity. Multiple residents testified that a 300-unit apartment complex would fundamentally alter the character of our neighborhood. The Planning Board's answer? More landscaping to hide it. That's not compatibility — that's a screen.
🌊 Stormwater and Environmental Concerns Remain Unresolved
The property already contains a regional stormwater pond serving the surrounding area. Clearing 13 acres of forest and adding hundreds of units will dramatically increase impervious surfaces and runoff — in an area that already deals with drainage challenges.
What Our Appeal Argues
Our attorney has raised three major legal challenges:
1. The Tree Conservation Plan Is Illegal
The developer's plan proposes to remove all woodland on the property — woodland that prior approved plans specifically designated as preservation areas. The WCO does not authorize removing woodland already designated for preservation. At minimum, the developer must account for the nearly 20-acre conservation shortfall that removing this preserved woodland creates.
2. The Specimen Tree Variance Should Be Denied
The developer wants to remove four specimen trees (large, mature trees protected by county code). But the need to remove them was created by the developer's own situation — including a stormwater pond installed by prior owners that limits where building can go, and a forest retention area that allowed the trees to grow to specimen size in the first place. Under Maryland law, you can't create your own problem and then ask for a variance to solve it.
3. The Planning Board Didn't Follow the District Council's Instructions
When the District Council sent this case back in October 2025, it gave the Planning Board a detailed list of issues to address. The Planning Board ignored or inadequately addressed several of them, including the history of forest conservation on the property, compatibility with existing development, and the legal basis for the specimen tree variance.
📅 THE HEARING DATE IS SET
The District Council has scheduled the Oral Argument Hearing for:
Monday, March 23, 2026 — 10:00 A.M. County Council Hearing Room — First Floor Wayne K. Curry Administration Building 1301 McCormick Drive, Largo, MD 20774
Can't attend in person? You can watch live at: https://pgccouncil.us/LIVE
What to Know About the Hearing
Each side gets 30 minutes for oral argument, plus a 5-minute rebuttal.
Testimony is limited to the facts and evidence already in the record before the Planning Board — no new evidence can be introduced.
The District Council can affirm, reverse, modify, or remand the Planning Board's decision.
Want to Request to Speak?
Persons of Record who wish to speak must submit their request by 3:00 PM on March 22, 2026 (the day before the hearing):
Email: clerkofthecouncil@co.pg.md.us
Fax: (301) 952-5178
Any required documents must be filed no later than five (5) business days before the hearing (by March 16, 2026). Correspondence will not be accepted via U.S. Mail.
Case Information
Public access to case information is available on the Council's Legislative/Zoning Information System: https://pgccouncil.us/LZIS
Your presence matters — whether in the hearing room or watching online. Council members need to see that this community is united and paying attention.
Council Members Reviewing This Case
Krystal Oriadha, Council Chair - CouncilDistrict7@co.pg.md.us
(301) 952-3690
Eric Olson, Vice Chair - CouncilDistrict3@co.pg.md.us
(301) 952-3060
Sydney J. Harrison, Council Member - CouncilDistrict9@co.pg.md.us
(301) 952-3820
Jolene Ivey, Council Member, At-Large - CouncilDistrict5@co.pg.md.us
(301) 952-3864
Wala Blegay, Council Member, At-Large - CouncilDistrict6@co.pg.md.us
(301) 952-3426
How You Can Help Right Now
Share this update with neighbors, friends, and anyone in the Accokeek area who cares about our green spaces and community character.
Contact your Council representative and let them know you oppose this development as currently proposed. Be specific:
- Reference CSP-23002, Signature Club East
- Mention the destruction of 13 acres of designated preservation forest
- Emphasize incompatibility with the surrounding community
- Ask the Council to reverse or remand the Planning Board's approval
- Plan to attend the oral argument when it's scheduled. Numbers matter.
Keep signing and sharing our Change.org petition — every signature demonstrates the depth of community opposition.
Key Talking Points (Quick Reference)
If you're writing to a Council member, speaking at a hearing, or talking to a neighbor, here are the essential points:
✅ The forest was designated for preservation — it's not just undeveloped land. Prior development plans officially protected it, and those protections should be honored.
✅ Allowing this sets a dangerous precedent — any developer could game the Woodland Conservation Ordinance by temporarily "preserving" forest to get lower mitigation requirements, then clearing it later.
✅ The developer's own actions created the need for variances — the stormwater pond and forest retention area that now constrain the site were put there by the property's own development history.
✅ 300 apartments in 4-5 story buildings don't fit Accokeek — there is nothing comparable in the area. Even the developer tried to switch to townhomes, which tells you they know apartments don't work here.
✅ The Planning Board didn't do its job on remand — the District Council sent this back with specific questions, and the Planning Board didn't adequately answer them.
✅ Only 1.61 acres of off-site mitigation for 13+ acres of cleared preservation forest is not acceptable — the conservation shortfall approaches 20 acres when properly calculated.
Thank you for being part of this fight. Accokeek's green spaces, our community character, and the integrity of our environmental protections are worth defending.
For questions or to get more involved, connect with us through our Change.org petition page or reach out to the Keep Accokeek Green organizers on IG Keep.Accokeek.Green or FB @Keep Accokeek Green