Cottages of Leonardtown
Originally Published: November 14, 2023
Lawrence Ave Proposal, Other Updates
A proposed car wash, replacing the former Happy Seafood House in Leonardtown, will be ready to open by summer 2024. A representative for The Wills Group explained to the Leonardtown Town Council on September 11th that the project will go through design and construction phases over the coming months. Town Administrator Laschelle McKay said during the meeting that additional EDUs would need to be allocated to the property to issue an occupancy permit. Currently, the property has 6 EDUs (Equivalent Dwelling Unit), the measurement by which the business will be billed for wastewater services. A car wash will require 12 EDUs, but must meet certain criteria to obtain them due to limited capacity of the Town’s wastewater treatment plant. Expansion of the treatment plant is expected to finish next summer. Once complete, the Town Council will grant the additional EDUs allowing the car wash to operate.
Elsewhere in town, a proposal for the Cottages of Leonardtown shows eight small homes being built at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Church Street. This site used to be home to a twelve unit apartment building that had fallen into disrepair, and was demolished. Property owner Laurel Grove Properties LLC has plans for the 0.59 acre lot that include dividing it into two smaller lots, 0.271 and 0.319 acres, respectively. When asked by the Town’s Planning Commission on October 16th what the reason was, the owner said simply “financial” reasons related to his financial institutions.
The two lots could be home to a total of 8 houses which would be rental properties. Footprint size of the buildings is between 640 SF and 1080 SF. Originally, the owner planned a twelve unit apartment building with a garage underneath, but decided that didn’t fit the “character of the area.” Each home would have two parkings spaces, and an access road would run from Church Street parallel to Lawrence Avenue and terminate between the townhomes and neighboring houses. Four homes are planned for construction on a square portion of the property at the corner, while the other four will run along the access road behind the townhouses.
Concerns exist about the ability to fit four homes in the tight space behind the townhouses, with the addition of an access road. Parking for the townhouse owners could be affected, as well as a potential for flooding that was expressed by one resident during the meeting. Laurel Grove LLC said they would angle the access road to prevent runoff from filling the backyards of the townhouses. Sean Lawson, member of the town’s Planning Commission, said he thought eight was too many homes for this area. Six might fit better, he said.
This proposal was approved by the Planning Commission and recommended to the Town Council. The development will still need to be reviewed by the health department, fire department, evaluated for water and sewer access and stormwater management. A public hearing was held on November 13th as the Town Council reviewed the project. Council members had similar questions about the density of housing and dividing a small lot into two smaller pieces. Several neighbors, who live along Lawrence Avenue, spoke against the project as it was presented. Ultimately, the Town Council postponed their decision until they can walk the property and visualize what eight homes may look like. The decision will come back for review at their December meeting.
