Policy 11

Preserve and protect the Rural and Agricultural Areas to conserve agricultural and forest resources.

• LU11.1 - Continue to implement the Priority Preservation Plan (PPA) to achieve identified agricultural and forestry land preservation goals and coordinate with the Prince George’s County Soil Conservation District, University of Maryland Extension Service, the agricultural community, residents, and community groups.
• LU11.2 - Amend the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance to support agricultural production and forest preservation in the Rural and Agricultural Areas.
• LU11.3 - Evaluate the impacts of extractive industries, such as sand and gravel mining, on resource lands, rural character, economic development, and post-reclamation requirements in the Rural and Agricultural Areas. Map remaining sand and gravel natural resources to locate potential future sand and gravel operations, update and revise development standards, and identify post-reclamation land uses, including residential development, agriculture, and forestry. Propose comprehensive legislation to revise county codes and identify recommendations for the Zoning Ordinance update.
• LU11.4 - To preserve environmentally sensitive land and to encourage development in the Regional Transit Districts, evaluate a transfer of development rights program, density exchanges, or purchase of development rights program for the Rural and Agricultural Areas. Explore opportunities to transfer development rights within areas and to coordinate with the Watershed Implementation Plan and Maryland Accounting for Growth Policy.