Calvert County Planning Commission Regular Meeting - July 16, 2025

The Calvert County Planning Commission met in hybrid format at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in person at the Harriet E. Brown Community Center and virtually via Zoom. All commissioners were present. The commission acted on school capacity reporting, town center master plan updates, a public hearing on draft town center master plan chapters, and a zoning text amendment.

Consent Calendar

• The commission unanimously approved a motion to reorder the agenda, moving item 10A (Board of Education presentation) and item 11 (APF for Schools report update) to immediately follow item 5.
• The commission unanimously approved the summary of actions from the June 18, 2025 regular meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comment was offered in person, virtually, or by phone during the public comment period.
• No oral testimony was presented at the town center master plan public hearing; the record was closed by commission motion.

Board of Education Presentation - APF for School Capacity Factors

• P&Z staff reviewed the Adequate Public Facilities (APF) ordinance: adopted in 1988 for schools and roads, expanded in 2022 to include fire/EMS, law enforcement, roads, schools, solid waste, storm drainage, and water/sewer; it now applies to both on- and off-site facilities.
• Exemptions include county and municipal facilities, places of worship, historic residences, and certain pre-1988 parcels and subdivisions. Chesapeake Beach and North Beach are not subject to the county APF regulations.
• State-rated capacity formulas were summarized: pre-K/K classrooms x20, kindergarten classrooms x22, special education classrooms x10, middle/high school teaching stations x25 x85%, with high schools adding career academy session counts.
• As of April 2025, Northern Middle School and Mount Harmony Elementary were over capacity.
• Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) staff described student transfer policy 3925: transfers are limited to child care (through grade 8), course of study, certain health conditions, employee circumstances, and hardship appeals; annual reapplication is required.
• CCPS stated that over 50% of transfer approvals are child-care related, with many transfers to the northern region due to licensed child care locations.
• CCPS said Northern Middle School is under construction with a state-rated capacity of 797, compared to its current local rated capacity of 700; a similar construction approach relieved overcapacity after the new Beach Elementary opened with a rated capacity of 578.
• A commissioner raised a policy conflict between student transfers and APF development restrictions: a small number of transfers pushed Mount Harmony and Northern Middle to 100% capacity, which can block otherwise permitted development. The commissioner indicated a preference for favoring students and families, and noted the six-year APF deferral buffer. Staff said no development has been denied in the last six years because of this situation.
• CCPS explained that school and grade-level closures to transfers are evaluated using factors such as instructional program impact, class size, support services, regional programming, and space availability.

APF for Schools Report - Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 Correction

• P&Z staff announced a correction to the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 APF for Schools reports: the number of teaching stations for Northern Middle and Plum Point Middle Schools had been reversed in each report.
• The corrected Fall 2024 report shows Mount Harmony Elementary at 106.5% and Northern Middle School at 106% of capacity.
• The corrected Spring 2025 report shows Mount Harmony Elementary at 106.6% and Northern Middle School at 106.6% of capacity.
• Staff said school capacity is formally calculated twice a year; if staff receive notification that a school is under capacity, that updated information can be recorded and used, but otherwise decisions rely on the six-month reports.

Town Center Master Plan Updates - Huntingtown, Owings, and St. Leonard

• P&Z staff will mail postcards during the week of July 2025 and post online surveys from mid-July to mid-August 2025 for updates to the Owings (Chapter 4), Huntingtown (Chapter 5), and St. Leonard (Chapter 6) Town Center Master Plans.
• Postcards and surveys will be sent to entire zip codes, not just town center boundaries.
• The Owings map shows a proposed boundary expansion into areas zoned employment center, rural commercial, and residential neighborhood. St. Leonard's proposed expansion includes the adjacent 29-acre St. Leonard Elementary parcel.
• The survey asks whether each town center should remain a town center or be designated as a rural commercial zoning district. Commissioner Burry commented that Owings lacks a distinct town center identity; staff clarified that rural commercial is an existing zoning district and noted town centers are intended for higher density mixed use, especially where water and sewer are planned.
• Findings from the surveys will be presented to the Planning Commission in September or October 2025.

Public Hearing - Draft Chapter 1 and Draft Chapter 2 of Master Plan of Town Centers

• The public hearing continued from May 21, 2025, and the record had remained open after the commission directed staff to address the intersection level-of-service and APF roads issue.
• Revisions included replacing land-use categories with sub-districts, adding a neighborhood residential subdistrict, adding a 115-acre forest overlay near Parker's Creek headwaters, expanding the old town development subdistrict, and creating a commercial development and redevelopment subdistrict.
• Proposed transportation language requires projects affecting signalized MD 2/4 intersections in Prince Frederick to demonstrate adequate public facilities or propose acceptable mitigation; if no acceptable mitigation is identified, the project would be deferred for up to six years. A footnote lists failing intersections as of July 2025.
• A commissioner offered personal observations about signal timing on MD 2/4 and questioned a previous traffic consultant's presentation. Legal counsel stated the deferral language did not raise a taking concern and noted the correct phrase is "up to six years," not "a period of six years."
• The commission unanimously moved to close the record, find Draft Chapters 1 and 2 consistent with the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan, and recommend adoption by the Board of County Commissioners.

Zoning Text Amendment #25-13 - Critical Area Updates

• Staff presented text amendments required by the Critical Area Commission after the comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite that took effect March 1, 2025.
• Proposed changes include: adding climate change and climate resiliency goals; changing critical area provisions and map comprehensive review from every 6 years to every 10 years, with a possible 1-year written extension; clarifying correction of critical area land classifications; allowing lot coverage in limited development areas to be exceeded by up to 500 square feet for permeable pavers or permeable pavement installed per manufacturer specifications; adding definitions of permeable pavements and permeable pavers with perviousness ranges of 10-50%; adding growth-allocation language to avoid climate-vulnerable areas unless resiliency measures are approved and to consider impacts on overburdened/underserved communities; incorporating DNR Wildlife and Heritage habitat protection area maps (inventory dated March 10, 2021); revising the dwelling unit definition; clarifying that accessory dwelling units do not count toward permitted density; and updating the project approvals definition to include preliminary and final subdivision plans.
• Staff said the climate vulnerability language came from the state and is intended to be flexible; legal counsel stated the language does not put an undue burden on the county. A commissioner supported the accessory dwelling unit density clarification as a partial housing solution.
• Staff will proceed with the public adoption process, with a joint public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners tentatively scheduled for August 20, 2025.

Informational Items

• The site plan and subdivision lists were received for informational purposes; no questions or comments were raised.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the June 18, 2025 summary of actions.
• Closed the public hearing record and recommended adoption of Draft Chapter 1 (Town Centers) and Draft Chapter 2 (Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan) to the Board of County Commissioners; motion passed unanimously.
• Noted the corrected APF for Schools reports for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025.
• Proceeding with zoning text amendment #25-13 to a joint public hearing tentatively scheduled for August 20, 2025.
• Town center update surveys will be distributed; findings are expected in September or October 2025.
• No public comment was received, and the meeting adjourned.