Pax River Village Center Townhomes

91 Units Planned Across From Nicolet Park

Concept site plan overlaid on Google maps.

David Ross, President of Atlantic Realty, announced plans for a 91 unit townhome neighborhood at Commissioner Ostrow’s town hall in February. Atlantic Realty is redeveloping the commercial center once known as Millison Plaza, now renamed Pax River Village Center. The large parking lot adjacent to FDR Blvd, approximately six acres, would be repurposed for a townhome community Ross explained. Atlantic Realty is looking for a builder to construct the project and assume ownership under stipulations ensuring the aesthetics of the neighborhood are well-kept. Pax River Village Center Townhomes is currently under review by Land Use & Growth Management (LUGM), and will likely appear before the Planning Commission later this year.

Initial review of available planning documents show 91 units grouped in 16 rows, each home approximately 2400 square feet. Two spaces per home, one garage and one driveway, plus four additional spaces for guests bring total parking spaces to 186, exceeding Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) requirements. If constructed, the community replaces 693 parking spots from the commercial center. But a parking analysis prepared by Mike Lenhart of Lenhart Traffic Consulting finds adequate parking remains to serve the commercial businesses. 

Phase I of Atlantic Realty’s project is the commercial center, including construction of Aldi and Starbucks. Using the ITE Parking Generation Manual, 5th Edition, which is “based on empirical data collected over many years,” writes Lenhart, 411 parking spaces are needed to serve 208K square feet of commercial space. Once the townhomes are constructed, 693 spaces will still remain throughout the shopping center, exceeding the ITE recommendations. 

Neighborhood access is via two entrances, one across from Nicolet Park and the other from the commercial parking area. Sidewalks and crosswalks connect residents to the shopping center near Aldi, and to Nicolet Park across FDR Blvd. The community could be home to 20 elementary, 10 middle, and 14 high school students. Traffic estimates show 533 additional daily trips in the area. 

Rendering of development.

Several outstanding issues are still being addressed by the applicant. Comments from Washington Gas noted only three feet between townhomes and the gas line, the company’s standard being at least 10’ minimum. A water study is required to “show that the proposed system will be able to meet minimum requirements for both domestic use and fire flow,” according to METCOM. St. Mary’s County Public Schools said the bus stop would be on FDR Blvd, but that school districts are to be determined. The Health Department flagged the need for additional EDUs before approval–this is to ensure proper water/sewer infrastructure is available. 

Correspondence between LUGM staff and COA Barrett, the engineering firm, confirmed these units are rentals. A lack of common open space in the development prompted LUGM to inquire if the development “intends to use Nicolet Park to make up for the lack of common open space on site.” That would require a variance from the Board of Appeals should the project be approved by the Planning Commission. Initial comments from the State Highway Administration indicated they needed more time to review and provide detailed comments on the proposal. Details may change as the process unfolds and concerns are addressed. When this goes before the Planning Commission, I will provide updates.