Park Place Approved
Originally Published: August 3, 2024
Appeals Board Signs Off
The concept site plan for Park Place Apartments, denied by the Planning Commission on March 18th, was heard before the Board of Appeals across two meetings on June 27th and July 25th. Issues to consider were additional traffic, available parking, stormwater management, and location of the school bus stop. COPT Defense objected to the site plan over the proximity of an apartment building to their office building next door, citing potential security risks for their defense contractor tenants.
Haris Javaid, owner of the proposed Park Place Apartments, his attorney, Chris Longmore, and project engineer Pat Mudd, appear before the appeals board. Javaid, who is also a local real estate agent, said his family has invested in real estate for five years and has “seen a strong growth in market rents for apartments and condos,” leading to this project. Longmore presented the appeal, arguing the Planning Commission denied the project despite it’s meeting all lawful requirements. The site plan has been redesigned so there is no apartment building next to COPT Defense’s building. As a result, COPT Defense withdrew their objection to the project.
As with the Honda/Kia Dealership, Longmore cited the Lexington Park Development District (LPDD) master plan passed by the Commissioners six years ago. Prior to its approval, this type of use was not allowed. Park Place California Condominiums Inc (PPCCI) owns the entire Park Place development (including the restaurants, retail buildings etc), where each business has a ground lease. PPCCI’s owner, John Parlett, was quoted in SOMD News after testifying at a hearing in 2019 where he said the need for rezoning “held up commerce, on some level, in the last couple years.” The Planning Commission oversaw the update which was later approved by the Commissioners. Planning Commission Chair Howard Thompson, quoted in the same article, said “the goal was to make Lexington Park more business friendly.” Thompson recognized the movement of businesses away from Lexington Park further north to areas like California. “We just wanted to make sure that Lexington Park itself was ready for the future,” Thompson said at the time.
Parking worries were assuage as Longmore and Mudd showed there was adequate parking for all residents of the complex. These included an additional 38 spaces dedicated by COPT Defense in exchange for an agreement that apartment residents would not park directly in front of the office building. The entire commercial complex, Longmore explained, operated under a shared parking agreement which technically permits patrons of any business or residents of the apartments to park anywhere.
A bus stop located on Shady Mile Drive across from Baringer Drive will be accessible by a staircase from the apartment’s parking area. Concerns over parents queuing down Baringer Drive while waiting for the bus were answered by engineer Mudd, who said vehicles could, instead, line up in the apartment complex parking lot.
At the July 25th continuation, the issue was settled quickly. After another quick review of the facts, the Board voted 4-to-1 to overturn the Planning Commissions denial, and grant the appeal. Appeals board Chair George Hayden summarized “the Commissioners and Planning Commission approved this [zoning] change years ago…Nothing stuck out to prevent me, this evening, to deny this from moving forward.” The sole vote against, Ronald Payne, had outstanding questions about flooding issues that could be exacerbated.
SOMD News article: https://www.somdnews.com/.../article_284ce68d-7cef-538e...
