Comprehensive Plan Update

Originally Published: December 18, 2023

$300K Approved for Consultant

At the December 12th Commissioner Meeting, Jessica Andritz, LUGM Director, sought approval of $300K for consulting services to update the Comprehensive Plan (CP). An update to the CP is required every ten years by law, and the last CP is from 2010. From my research, the County has hired a consultant for this only once in the past, to prepare the first CP in 1966. Each successive update has been completed by LUGM staff in cooperation with the Planning Commission and other county agencies. Two opportunities for public input are required–LUGM must hold a public forum for the draft plan, and the Commissioners must hold another before adopting the final version.

Director Andritz said they’re “trying to keep the department as lean as we can and still provide good services.” There are 84 vacancies across county government. The amount of work involved in updating the CP is not something LUGM is prepared for at current staff levels. In 2021, LUGM began holding community stakeholder meetings for the CP update, and information from the process, which was shuttered due to COVID impacts, will be given to the consultant firm hired.

Commissioner Ostrow confirmed $300K would bring the process to completion. Director Andrtiz described a 24-month contract length, with a completed draft due in 18 months, allowing time for public meetings. Commissioner Hewitt said hiring an “expert will bring quality and expertise to the process.” Director Andritz said any consultant hired would go through a request for proposal process. The consultant would tour the county, meet with community members, government agencies, the Board of Education, PAX leadership and others to gain necessary knowledge.

Commissioner Colvin instead proposed an ad-hoc committee of 5-7 Commissioner appointed members who would complete a draft document. Colvin wondered if a consultant would know what’s right for the County, or if they would bring some “progressive, strange plan” that doesn’t fit the area. Ostrow believed a third party would provide a more objective opinion, and made the motion to approve the $300K in funding from the Commissioner’s Reserve, with Commissioners Hewitt, Guy, and Alderson joining him.

I have been advocating for the CP update for the last two years, so I am glad progress is being made. However, I believe residents of St. Mary’s are most suited for this process. We live here and are affected, whether positively or negatively, by what is in the CP. I agree with Commissioner Colvin about forming a committee. A committee with 9 members should be economically diverse, with varied backgrounds and experiences. The committee should have two members would be from each Commissioner District and one at-large member. There should not be an overrepresentation of any one particular factor (such as real estate/construction related professionals, political party, income level etc) in the makeup of the board.

The CP Workgroup (or any consultant hired) should hold multiple town hall style public forums throughout the county. At least one town hall in each Commissioner District, and one in each of the Leonardtown and Lexington Park Development Districts. At each of these town halls, a representative from each County Department could be present to provide input or answer questions relative to their responsibilities. The public should be provided information at the start of each meeting, to include upcoming planned development, utility expansion, and transportation needs in the Town, Village, and Rural Service Centers within the District where the meeting is held. These would be in addition to the two public forums already required by law.

What do you think? Should this process be completed by a consultant, by a community workgroup, or some combination of both?

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Read on for some background information about the CP, why it’s important, and how it affects your daily life.

The St. Mary’s County Comprehensive Plan (CP) outlines growth and land use plans intended to shape development. The document is wide ranging, covering everything from housing, transportation, and commercial development to utilities, schools, and historic preservation. Generally, the CP gives a glimpse of county history and quality of life, then explores challenges and opportunities, set goals, and recommends policies for growth management, resource protection, economic development, humans services and more. Developers look to the CP, sometimes quoting it directly in their applications to Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) and the Planning Commission.

According to the CP’s Land Use Plan Concept, development is directed to areas in four categories:

-Development Districts (Lexington Park and Leonardtown): urban in design, intensive residential, commercial and industrial development, with community facilities, services, and amenities.

-Town Centers (Charlotte Hall, New Market, Mechanicsville, Hollywood, Piney Point): also urban in design, moderately intense residential, commercial and industrial development with community facilities and services.

Village Centers (Callaway, Chaptico, Clements, Loveville, Ridge, St. Inigoes, Valley Lee): serve as focus for rural community facilities, services and activities.

Rural Service Centers (Avenue, Budds Creek, Dameron, Helen, Oraville, Park Hall, St. James): crossroads commercial, retail, and business development with localized services for surrounding rural and agricultural areas, with limited opportunity for infill development.

Think about the areas named above and what kind of things are found there. Town Centers like Charlotte Hall/New Market have several shopping plazas, strip malls, industrial, and free standing businesses. Village Centers like Chaptico and Ridge have small convenience businesses, gas stations, and maybe a restaurant or bar. Rural Service Centers like Helen and St. James have combo convenience businesses (Hill’s Country Store or St. James Deli) and maybe a gas station or unique business that serves the immediate residential area.

Meanwhile, the Development Districts (DD) have a large mix of commercial centers, industrial and warehouse, residential, recreational, governmental and social services. Boundaries of the DD’s have changed, causing them to grow over the years. The Lexington Park DD stretches from the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport down to Hermanville Road. The growth of the LPDD has affected not only commercial and residential development, but transportation, utilities, the local economy, property values, incomes, and more. Think of it this way: When the LPDD was smaller, focused around Lexington Park/Great Mills, the area was the focus of commerce. Remember when there was nothing along 235 until you got to K-Mart or Walmart? As the LPDD boundaries moved north toward California and Hollywood, commercial and residential development moved along with it. The results of this are clear today, with the highest concentration of county residents in the California-Lexington Park-Great Mills area, and a visible disconnect between California and Lexington Park/Great Mills. This is why there has been such a huge push for new commercial and residential development and revitalization further south.

This is just one example why the CP is so important. Another example is the large cannabis warehouse in 7th District. A strong CP may not have prevented the warehouse from being built. However, a relevant and forward-looking document, with recommendations that are actually followed by County Government are the key to preventing development where it is not appropriate. Any update of the CP must include an assessment of the last plan’s policy and zoning suggestions, whether they were used, and what effects were seen with implementation or lack thereof.