Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 7:00 PM (Virtual and In-Person)
Location: Harriet E. Brown Community Center, 901 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
Quorum: All seven commissioners present (Bury, Freeland, Gadway, Kernan, McQueen, Toohey, Weems)
The Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider one zoning map amendment (MA 25-01) and twelve zoning text amendments (TA 25-02 through 25-13). The meeting lasted approximately five hours, with deliberation and public comment on each item.
Proposal: Rezone two parcels at 136 and 150 East Chesapeake Beach Road (current zoning: Rural Commercial and Rural Neighborhood District) to Town Center Core District. The applicant (Dash In Food Store Inc., represented by attorney Matthew Tedesco) seeks to demolish the existing gas station and single-family home and redevelop a modern automobile filling station with improved landscaping, lighting, stormwater management, and traffic circulation.
Staff Presentation: Will Hager, Planner III, summarized the application. The property lies within the proposed Owings Town Center expansion area in the Comprehensive Plan. Staff noted that the existing gas station is a non-conforming use; the rezoning would permit expansion. The Planning and Zoning Department stated that no mistake was made in the original zoning, but a policy decision not to consider town center zoning during the comprehensive rezoning left the property in its current state.
Commission Discussion:
Public Comment: None.
Action:
Staff presented each text amendment with slides. Most amendments had no public comment and were approved unanimously unless noted. The key items are summarized below.
TA 25-02: Revise definition of "retaining wall" to exclude walls less than 36 inches in height (considered decorative landscaping).
TA 25-03: Remove provisions from the zoning ordinance related to agricultural preservation districts (APDs) and move them to the Agricultural Preservation Rules and Regulations. The deletion includes language that APDs are governed by rules in effect at time of creation, which would allow retroactive application of new rules.
TA 25-04: Allow bed and breakfast facilities (in existing dwellings built before March 1, 2025) and food trucks as conditional uses in APDs.
TA 25-05: Clarify that if a use is not listed or determined by the Zoning Officer, it is not permitted in any district.
TA 25-06: Allow garden centers/farm supply stores in Farm and Forest and Rural Community districts, limited to 7,500 sq. ft. gross floor area.
TA 25-07: Amend accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations: limit ADU size to 75% of main dwelling (align with state law), remove certain setback requirements (state preemption), and require adequate vehicular access as determined by Public Works.
TA 25-08: Revise parking requirements for home daycares and home occupations. Reduces drop-off parking from two spaces to one for daycares with ≤12 clients; eliminates special exception for Class A home occupations; adds special exception for daycares with 13-19 clients in certain districts.
TA 25-09: Reinsert public utility lines and accessory structures as permitted uses in all zoning districts (accidentally removed during the zoning rewrite).
TA 25-10: Clarify permitting requirements for accessory structures: building permit required for structures ≥200 sq. ft. or in Critical Area; all detached structures must meet setbacks; allow accessory structures on adjoining lots with easements; special exception required for structures on lots without a primary structure.
TA 25-11: Clarify that final detailed site plan approval or subdivision plat approval must be obtained before issuance of any building permits (including grading permits).
TA 25-12: Prohibit temporary signs on public property (rights-of-way, utility poles, etc.) without express permission. Enforcement would be under zoning ordinance with fines up to $500.
TA 25-13: Revise Critical Area regulations per state Critical Area Commission requirements. Key changes: review cycle from 6 to 10 years; allow lot coverage increase up to 500 sq. ft. with permeable pavers; add environmental justice and climate change considerations for growth allocation; update definitions.
Welcome to the Planning Commission public hearing for Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. All hearings tonight are duly advertised, and the certificate of publication is part of the record for each hearing. Citizens are invited to provide comments on any and or all of the hearings after each presentation has concluded. Each of the hearings will have a separate comment period, followed by a brief following the brief presentation. Anyone that's here in person who wishes to speak must sign up on the sign-in sheet located at the door. And I think they're color-coded as to the text amendment that you would like to speak on as you enter the door. My name is Tamara Blake Wallace, and I am the deputy director of planning, and now I will now turn the meeting over to our chairman. Good evening. Welcome to the Calvert County Planning Commission public hearing. I'm John Twee Chair. I'm going to take attendance to determine our quorum. Commissioner Burry. Commissioner Freeland here. Commissioner Gadway. Here. Commissioner Kearning. Here. Commissioner McQueen. Here. And Commissioner Wings. Here. We have full attendance and we have a quorum, so we are there for call to order. If you'll all join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, please rise. Our pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Under God, indivisible liberty and justice for all. That brings us to item three tonight, presentation by staffs. And item 3A is the zoning map amendment. Okay. Good evening, Commissioners. Good evening, Mr. Hager. I am Will Hager, uh, planner three with the Department of Planning and Zoning. And before we get into the presentation slides for zoning amendment 25-1, I'd just like to make a few opening comments. And that is that this public hearing has been duly advertised. A sign giving notice of the public hearing was posted on the subject property, and legal notice was mailed to all adjoining property owning property owners, and we received no comments, uh no written comments in regard to either uh the map amendment or any of the text amendments that are the subject of tonight's public hearing. So with that, we'll begin the presentation for zoning map amendment 25-1. And we received uh this zoning map amendment application in March of this year. This material was presented at an informational work session with the planning commission back in June as well. The properties uh subject to the zoning map amendment application include 136 East Chesapeake Beach Road and 150 East Chesapeake Beach Road located at the intersection of MD 778 and MD 260 directly adjacent and north of Owings Town Center. The existing zoning of the property at 136 East Chesapeake Beach Road is rural commercial, and the existing zoning of the property at 150 East Chesapeake Beach Road is rural neighborhood district. These the existing uses at 136 East Chesapeake Beach Road is an automobile filling station, and the existing use at 150 East Chesapeake Beach Road is a single family residential dwelling. The proposed zoning for the subject properties in this application is Town Center Core District for both parcels. The Owings Town Center zoning ordinance describes the core district as the intent within this district is to allow for a variety of complementary uses appropriate to the scale and traffic volume of regional thoroughfill and adjusted and adjusted to the village scale of the Owings area and to promote and sustain commercial development. The proposed use of the property is an enhancement to the existing automobile filling station at 136 East Chesapeake Beach Road and expanded onto 150 East Chesapeake Beach Road. The automobile filling station is not a permitted use in the rural commercial district, making the existing filling station a non-conforming use. And if the rezoning request is approved, the proposed development would be in conformance with the requirements, regulations, and conditions set forth in the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance, which permits automobile filling stations as a conditional use in the Owings Town Center Core subdistrict. On this slide, we're looking at the current zoning of the area around Owings Town Center. The two parcels circled in the middle are the subject properties. And on this slide, we're looking at what the zoning in the same area would look like if this zoning map amendment were to be approved. On this slide, you can see the delineation of the subdistricts within Owings Town Center as they exist today.