Zoning Analysis 6. Impacts of Zoning on the Potential for New TOD in the Takoma/Langley Study Area Prince George’s County can encourage and promote transit-oriented development (TOD) through zoning policies that enable the development or evolution of neighborhoods into places where people can live, work, go to school, recreate, shop, dine, and pursue civic and cultural engagement. TOD involves compact, mixed-use, moderate- to high-density development and limits automobile-centric uses, while promoting access to a range of mobility choices for users of all ages, abilities, and income levels. The County is undergoing its Countywide Map Amendment process to implement the zones of the new Zoning Ordinance approved in 2018. Takoma/Langley Crossroads is a Local Center, which is a focal point of concentrated residential development and limited commercial activity serving established communities that is specifically zoned Local Transit Oriented (LTO). As specified in Plan 2035, the County’s General Plan, Local Transit Centers will feature a mix of mid-rise and low-rise apartments and condos, along with townhomes, with an average housing density of 15–30 dwelling units per acre for new residential development. New commercial development within Local Transit Centers will have a permitted floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.5–3. Within the LTO designation, there are both Core (LTO-C) and Edge (LTO-E) areas. The Core area is generally about a quarter mile around the existing or proposed transit station/stop and has a high potential for intense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented, transitsupportive development. Figure 6A: Summary of LTO Zone Intensity and Dimensional Standards Applicable to the Takoma/ Langley Study Area Core
Edge
Standard
All Uses
Nonresidential & Mixed Use
Residential
Block Length, min.|max. (ft)
200|600
400|800
400|800
1,500
3,000
5,000
Lot area, min. (sf ) Lot width, min. (ft)
20
30
50
20.00|80.00
10.00|40.00
10.00|40.00
Floor area ratio (FAR), min.|max.
0.5|3.0
0.25|2.0
No requirement
Lot coverage, min.|max. (%of net lot area)
65|100
50|90
No requirement
Build-to-line, min.|max. (ft)
15|27
11|31
11|31
Building width in build-to zone, min. (% of lot width)
70
50
50
Front yard depth, min. (ft)
0
0
10
Side yard depth, min. (ft)
0
0
5
Density, min.|max. (du/ac of net lot area
Rear yard depth, min. (ft)
0
0
0
Building Facade Fenestration/ transparancy, min. (% of street-level facade area)
Abutting or facing a street frontage or pedestrian way
50
40
No requirement
Facing a public gathering space
45
35
No requirement
Principal structure height, min. |max. (ft) Prince George’s County Planning Department
24|80
No requirement|70 No requirement|70
Takoma/Langley Crossroads Planning and Implementation Study • Page 23
