Photo by Maryland Route 5

Drive along some of Prince George’s County’s main thoroughfares and you’re likely to see lots of fast food restaurants. Now some county legislators want to prevent any more from coming, reports the Examiner:

The bill would force businesses that acquire property to notify the county if they intend to change its use, allowing for council members and the public to comment on — and potentially appeal — the change. Councilwoman Karen Toles, D-Suitland, who introduced the bill, said it was to prevent less desirable businesses like fast-food restaurants and nightclubs from taking over old stores.

“If you go on Branch Avenue, it’s nothing but liquor stores, it’s nothing but fast food,” Toles said. “I’ve had residents come up to me and say, ‘I want more healthy eating options.’ “

Toles’ proposal has provoked the usual complaints from free market types, who say that residents can tell the difference between “a banana and a banana split.” Maybe, but it’s apparently way easier to find the latter than the former. According to a 2010 University of Maryland study, of 81 food outlets in or near Bladensburg, Capitol Heights, and Suitland, only 13 of then offered healthy food.

This isn’t the first time that the idea has been floated: in 2010, state Sen. David C. Harrington (D-Prince George’s) similarly proposed imposing a moratorium on issuing licenses to new fast-food businesses.