Prince George's County ADU Task Force Meeting - April 27, 2026
Prince George's County ADU Task Force Meeting - April 27, 2026
The Prince George's County Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Task Force held a full task force meeting on April 27, 2026. The primary agenda item was a presentation and Q&A session with representatives from the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) on ADU best practices, state requirements, and implementation challenges. The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Sheila Adam Stafford, with Committee Director Marina Hightower managing the flow.
Discussion Items
- Presentation on ADUs by Maryland Department of Planning: Susan LaRuz and Carter Wrightman presented on the state's ADU mandate (HB 1466), the sustainable growth planning principles, and MDP's guidance. They noted that Maryland faces a housing crisis, needing approximately 590,000 new units by 2045 and a shortage of 275,000 affordable rental units for households earning 80% or less of area median income. ADUs are seen as a key tool. The state definition limits ADU size to no greater than 75% of the primary dwelling unit's size, and local jurisdictions may not impose lower size limits. MDP recommends using above-grade square footage for measurement. They also discussed that owner-occupancy requirements are not prohibited but should be considered carefully as they may inhibit development. Regarding HOAs, state law invalidates private restrictions that unreasonably restrict ADUs. Parking requirements necessitate a parking study. Setbacks for ADUs cannot exceed those for other accessory structures. Water/sewer/septic issues are complex, and state law does not override other state requirements like fire sprinklers.
- Clarifications on ADU Types: Task force member Martin Russell asked about tiny homes and converted sheds (e.g., Amish sheds) as ADUs. MDP responded that the state law does not specify structure types; local building codes apply. Prefabricated or manufactured homes that meet dwelling unit requirements could be used as ADUs, but mobile homes may be different. MDP referenced FAQ 21 for further guidance.
- College Park Carve-out Request: Maryam, Director of Planning for the City of College Park, asked whether a carve-out could be granted due to the city's high student population (over 50% off-campus) and potential for investor abuse. MDP was not prepared to answer and requested an email for further discussion.
- Pre-existing Unpermitted ADus: A question was raised about how the state handles illegal or nonconforming ADUS. MDP clarified that enforcement is a local responsibility, not state. They noted that amnesty programs elsewhere (e.g., California) have had limited success.
- Size Restrictions and Local Flexibility: Discussion on whether local jurisdictions can impose stricter size limits below 75%. MDP's interpretation is that they cannot, but there is some ambiguity. Other jurisdictions like Howard County have adopted specific approaches (e.g., whichever is lower approach). MDP noted that the state does not enforce local ordinances.
- Setback Requirements: Member Epps questioned whether ADUs should be treated like accessory structures (same setbacks) or like dwelling units for health and safety. MDP stated the law is clear that setbacks for ADUs cannot exceed those for other accessory structures, but health/safety/fire access considerations may apply separately. Susan LaRuz added that other laws (e.g., fire access) could impose additional requirements.
- One Additional Meeting: It was noted that one more task force meeting is needed to finalize recommendations before transmitting them to the County Council. The deadline for local ordinance adoption is October 1, 2026, and the task force is on track.
Key Outcomes
- Next Meeting: The task force will schedule one additional meeting to consolidate recommendations.
- Recommendations to Council: After the final meeting, recommendations will be transmitted to the Prince George's County Council, which will direct staff to draft legislation. A public hearing will follow.
- Resource Sharing: The MDP presentation will be shared with task force members via Marina Hightower.
Meeting Transcript
Hi, I'd like to just begin by welcoming everyone to this meeting of the Accessory Dwelling Unit Task Force. My name is Councilmember Sheila Adam Stafford. And our committee director, I'd like to introduce her at this time, Miss Marina Hightower, and she will introduce our guests from parking planning today. Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to our accessory dwelling unit task force full task force meeting. We have uh Miss Susan LaRuz and Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter. I apologize if I mess up your name. Ratman, I think I got it wrong. They're here from the Maryland Department of Planning, and they're going to give us a presentation on ADUs and what they how they can help us. Thank you. Thank you. Would you like us to go ahead and get started? Okay, all right. Um, I'm going to cue up that presentation. Uh, we did put this together on the quick fast. We weren't sure exactly how long y'all wanted us to speak for. But while I'm cueing that up, uh, Susan, would you like to give an introduction? And I just also like to acknowledge we have uh Councilman Eric Olsen here on the call as well. Hello. Thanks, Shayla. Everybody. Miss LaRoos was speaking, but her mic was turned off. So we didn't hear her at all. Oh, okay. Good afternoon, everyone. Um I'm Susan LaRoose with Maryland Department of Planning. Carter and I work um together as a unit with the planning best practices, and our work mainly involves uh working with local jurisdictions throughout the state on any um mandated requirements that come about in the ADU is one of that legislation is one of the uh items of work that we were um we've been working on for quite some time since before the task force even started in the legislation that originally occurred that mandated um ADUs in all the jurisdictions. For those who don't know me, I am an alumni from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. I spent 30 years working in development review um in Prince George's County. So I really love the work that I did there, and it's my pleasure to continue serving the county in this in this position. I'm a director of Central Maryland, so uh I'm now involved with 12 counties um in the um in the state and many, many jurisdictions who also have uh municipal authority in relating to planning and zoning authority. And uh Carter, you can follow, please, with a few details of who you are and your area of specialty. Thank you. Sure, thank you. Um, just to confirm uh as I get started, everyone able to see my presentation all right. Yep. Okay, great. So my name is Carter Wrightman. I am the lead housing planner at the Maryland Department of Planning, and I work for Susan. Uh and we together, of course, work for Secretary Flora, uh, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning, who is a uh, I believe the United States only cabinet level Secretary of Planning, but uh I haven't done a systemic analysis. Uh, we were asked to give a presentation today about ADUs generally. Um MDP was not tasked with designing a uh model ordinance or guidance, but because we had an instrumental role in uh the early movement with respect to ADUs, uh legislative movement, uh, we sort of organically fit into that space. Um when we got the request from y'all, we uh were asked to identify uh, well, not asked to identify, but asked to address um these four topics benefits to Prince George's County, benefits to the county broadly, um, discussion on case studies of ADUs working well and ADU challenges. Uh our presentation is somewhat standardized. Maybe because of the quick turnaround, we'll address this in part, but we can't address it in full. I think um some aspects of MDP's relationship to ADUs and the legislation will become apparent through the presentation. So with that in mind, I just want to start with a note that all of the Maryland Department of Planning's guidance is informed by the eight sustainable growth planning principles recently adopted by the Maryland General Assembly.
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