Suitland, Maryland is facing a growing and urgent community crisis that has gone unaddressed for far too long.

Most recently, a new smoke shop opened at 4350 Suitland Road, adding to an already alarming number of similar businesses operating within our community. A 2023 resident report identified at least 35 tobacco-selling establishments in Suitland, and that number continues to rise.

At the same time, residents have consistently and repeatedly advocated for meaningful, community-centered development—such as grocery stores, sit-down restaurants, and businesses that support economic mobility, health, and neighborhood stability. These are the types of investments that communities need to thrive.

Yet those investments have not materialized. Instead, Suitland continues to experience a steady increase in tobacco and smoke shops. This pattern is not just frustrating—it raises serious concerns about public health, equity, land use practices, and accountability.

The overconcentration of these businesses:

• Increases exposure to harmful and addictive products
• Normalizes tobacco access in close proximity to youth and families
• Undermines efforts to build a healthy, thriving community
• Reflects a lack of balanced and intentional economic development
• Signals gaps in oversight, enforcement, and long-term planning

This is not simply about one business or one location. It is about a pattern of development that disproportionately impacts Suitland residents while other communities do not experience the same level of saturation.

Residents deserve transparency. Residents deserve protection. Residents deserve better.

Despite years of concern raised by the community, there has been no visible, comprehensive action taken to address the clustering of tobacco retailers in Suitland. As a result, trust in the County’s commitment to equitable and responsible development continues to erode.

If meaningful action is not taken, the conditions in our community will continue to worsen.

We, the undersigned, call on the Prince George’s County Executive, County Council, and all relevant agencies to take immediate and decisive action:

1. Conduct a comprehensive review of zoning, permitting, and licensing practices that have allowed the clustering of tobacco retailers in Suitland
2. Establish density caps and spacing requirements to prevent the overconcentration of tobacco-selling businesses in any one community
3. Strengthen enforcement and oversight by the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) and other County agency
4. Implement a temporary moratorium on new tobacco and smoke shop approvals in Suitland** until a full assessment is completed
5. Hold a public hearing or briefing to provide transparency and allow residents to directly voice their concerns

Suitland is a community of families, seniors, and young people. We deserve development that reflects our needs, protects our health, and invests in our future—not the continued saturation of businesses that do the opposite.

This issue has persisted for too long without meaningful intervention. The community is now prepared to elevate this concern through organized advocacy, public pressure, and collective action until change is achieved.

Sign this petition to demand accountability and protect the future of Suitland.