Route 1 Residents Defeated a Proposed McDonald’s Near Hyattsville

A group of Route 1 residents won a fight to stop a McDonald’s from replacing a locally owned restaurant near Hyattsville.

The Stop McDonald’s group set up a website, gathered letters from concerned neighbors and showed up to meetings of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Prince George’s County Council.

The fast-food restaurant was proposed 6543 Ager Rd., near the intersection of Riggs Road, Ager Road, and East-West Highway, just past the Home Depot. The property is currently home to La Doñita, a popular restaurant serving Central American cuisine.

Stop McDonald’s argued that the drive-thru would lead to back-ups on the already well-traveled road, which gets about 42,000 cars per day at that location, according to Maryland Department of Transportation data.

They also argued that there are already 14 McDonald’s locations within a 10-mile radius and that the restaurant would be selling unhealthy food in an area that lacks access to healthy foods, according to a 2019 county report.

Earlier this month, McDonald’s withdrew its plan to build the new restaurant after several county council members criticized it, according to a letter obtained by the Hyattsville Life & Times.