By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

A proposal to preserve open space and rural farmland in Prince George's County was killed yesterday after council members raised concerns about the impact the program might have on the county's more-populated areas.

Council member Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Laurel), a sponsor of the measure, withdrew the bill after the majority of his colleagues said they could not support legislation allowing a transfer of development rights from rural to urban neighborhoods.

The decision came after four hours of testimony from land-use attorneys, property owners, farmers and environmentalists. More than 80 people signed up to testify.

"If the council wants to take another stab at this bill, I'll table it," Dernoga said.

Under the plan, a developer who intends to build residential units in such areas as Bowie, Hyattsville or Fort Washington would have to buy a certain number of development rights in a rural region to move the project forward.

Ernest L. Murphy, president of Hospitality Development Company, which is building a hotel, office and retail project in Bowie, said the legislation would have cost him so much it would have killed his development, which would bring 150 jobs and tax dollars to the county. "The county would be cutting off its nose to spite its face," Murphy said.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) opposed the legislation, arguing that the timing was wrong, given the housing slump amid an economic downturn.

"Investors are looking for good government," said Robert Seldin, senior vice president of Archstone, which is working on a project at the Branch Avenue Metro station. "When they see legislation like this, it discourages investment in Prince George's County."

But proponents of the bill said the county has put the measure on the back burner for too long.

"How do we balance the inevitable growth?" asked Fred Tutman, an environmentalist. "If not now, when?"

This is the furthest such a bill has gotten in the county. The proposal has been studied for four years but has never made it out of committee.