Prince George’s County to Modify Environmental Technical Manual
Specimen tree recorded for an NRI in Prince George’s County.
In an effort to streamline the environmental approval process, Prince George’s County, Maryland¹, is proposing changes to its Environmental Technical Manual (ETM). Significant changes include:
- Requiring a full Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) be submitted with all subdivision preliminary plans;
- More detailed guidelines for NRI preparation for properties located in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area (CBCA);
- An increase in stream buffer widths for Tier II waterways; and
- Provisions for extending approved NRIs.
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. provided recommendations in August 2017 and is following this process which may lead to more timely progress on land development projects in Prince George’s County. There will be a final 30-day comment period soon (check here for public notices), with a goal to finalize a working draft before the end of the year. If you have questions about the process and what these changes could mean for your projects, please reach out to our contact below.
¹This process is under the direction of the Environmental Planning Section of Prince George’s County, which is part of the Maryland-National Capitol Park and Planning Commission.