Should only some people be allowed to drive on a public road?
An upscale gated community in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is being sued over a claim that only people who can afford to live there have access to a county road.
The federal lawsuit is filed by two people who regularly use Pleasant Prospect Road, in the Woodmore community of the county, located near Mitchellville. They claim those who can’t afford to live in the community are being discriminated against and being denied access to a public road.
Pleasant Prospect Road is a horseshoe-shaped county road — the only road through the subdivision, which includes a golf course — branching off Woodmore Road.
The complaint names the Pleasant Prospect Homeowners Association, Prince George’s County, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, and Michael Johnson, head of the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation.
According to the suit, the association erected an electronic gate on the east side of Pleasant Prospect Road. Residents who live in the subdivision are provided with key cards they can swipe to use the public road.
On the west end of Pleasant Prospect Road, drivers can only gain access by using purchased gate card or stopping at the gatehouse, “where they are interrogated by an agent of the Association about their purpose for using the public road.”
While gated communities exist throughout Maryland, including in Prince George’s County, “those communities are required to follow the procedure of privatizing a public road. That was not done by the County, the Association, or anyone else associated with Woodmore,” according to the suit.
The plaintiffs are Kimberly Jackson, who has a friend who lives in the subdivision, and Brent Taliaferro, an assistant golf pro who works at the Country Club in Woodmore.
In September 2023, the homeowners association sent a letter to the country club, saying it would impose a recurring $50 monthly fee for the use of gate cards by people who don’t belong to the homeowner’s association.
In the four-count complaint, the plaintiffs claim they’re being denied access to a public road, and enduring the nuisance of explaining their presence.
The suit also says Jackson and Taliaferro are being discriminated against by the defendants, “as they are obstructing, restricting, and prohibiting individuals who, by virtue of their occupational and familial status are unable to afford housing in Woodmore or membership at the Country Club, from freely accessing a public right-of-way.”
The suit claims the defendants are depriving Jackson and Taliaferro “of their right to travel and freely move on a public roadway.” It’s requesting the gates and guardhouse no longer be used as a way to charge drivers to use the public road, as well as financial damages.
According to court records, no hearing dates have been set.
In a letter sent to Woodmore residents by the HOA’s board of directors, shared with WTOP, the homeowner’s association says the suit appears to be based on an ongoing dispute with Concert Golf Partners, the owner of the Country Club at Woodmore.
“The lawsuit is an extreme response to minor issues and ignores the fact that both entities benefit from the security that the guardhouse and gates offer,” according to the letter. “The Board will be looking at short-term options to provide security should Concert attempt to expedite the removal of the guardhouse or gates.”
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ office told WTOP that “the county does not comment on pending litigation.”
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