Calvert County Planning Commission Regular Meeting – November 19, 2025
Calvert County Planning Commission Regular Meeting – November 19, 2025
The Calvert County Planning Commission held a hybrid regular meeting on November 19, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Harriet E. Brown Community Center in Prince Frederick. Commissioner John Toohey chaired the meeting with all seven members present. The primary focus was long-range planning, including public input meetings on Town Center Master Plan updates for Huntingtown, Owings, and St. Leonard, and a draft update for the Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan. The commission also received the November 1, 2025 Adequate Public Facilities for Schools Report and reviewed site plan and subdivision lists.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the proposed agenda as presented.
- Approved the Summary of Actions from the October 15, 2025 regular meeting.
Discussion Items
1. Town Center Master Plan Update – Public Input Meetings
Long Range Planner Tay Harris presented results from online surveys and public input meetings held in October 2025 for the Huntingtown, Owings, and St. Leonard town centers. Key survey findings:
- For Huntingtown and Owings, approximately 60% of respondents preferred rezoning the area to Rural Commercial District, while 40% wanted to retain Town Center status.
- For St. Leonard, the results were reversed: 60% preferred Town Center and 40% preferred Rural Commercial.
- Respondents across all three town centers strongly valued rural character, walkability, local businesses, and managed growth, while expressing concerns about traffic, pedestrian connectivity, vacant buildings, and overdevelopment.
Harris noted considerable confusion among the public regarding zoning definitions, permitted uses, and the difference between Town Center and Rural Commercial District. The department recommends eliminating the Rural Commercial District option and considering redefining Minor Town Center or creating a new zoning district. Public attendance numbers: Huntingtown meeting ~25 (out of 5,700 postcards mailed), Owings ~41, St. Leonard ~40. The department will hold additional public meetings in early 2026 to discuss zoning options.
2. Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan – November 2025 Draft
Planner Kat Lockwood presented Chapter 3 (Dunkirk) and Chapter 1 (Town Centers) of the Master Plan of Town Centers draft. The plan includes land use, environmental resources, economic vitality, transportation improvements, and updates to comply with new state legislation (e.g., Planning Principles Act, housing affordability, EV charger requirements). Transportation recommendations (e.g., restricting Apple Way access, completing Penwick Lane, adding a crosswalk) are not currently funded. The commission discussed agency comments, including a supportive letter from Prince George's County Planning Department. After discussion, the commission agreed to defer scheduling a public hearing until after formal review at the December 17, 2025 meeting.
3. Adequate Public Facilities for Schools – November 1, 2025 Fall Report
Tay Harris presented the bi-annual report. Calvert County's APF regulations require school capacity to be less than 100% of rated capacity. As of November 1, 2025, only Mount Harmony Elementary School and Northern Middle School exceeded 100% capacity (both slightly down from April 2025). No pending residential subdivisions are affected by these capacity issues. The commission noted that the towns of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach are not subject to county APF regulations.
4. Site Plan and Subdivision Lists
The commission received the lists for information. Commissioner Freeland raised a concern about a proposed townhouse development on the west side of Prince Frederick, questioning whether a traffic impact study accounted for currently failing intersections. Staff confirmed the developer is aware and a traffic study is under review.
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public spoke during the designated public comment period.
Key Outcomes
- The commission voted to approve the agenda and the October 15, 2025 Summary of Actions.
- No action was taken on the Town Center Master Plan update; the department will continue public outreach in early 2026.
- The commission deferred scheduling a public hearing for the Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan until after formal review at the December 17, 2025 regular meeting.
- The APF Schools report and site plan/subdivision lists were received as information.
- The next regular meeting will be held on December 17, 2025, in the Chesapeake Room at the new County Administration Building, 150 Main Street, Prince Frederick.
Meeting Transcript
Everyone to the Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 Planning Commission meeting. I am Tamara Blake Wallace, Deputy Director of Planning and Acting Planning Commission Administrator. This meeting will be conducted as a hybrid meeting, allow for both virtual and in-person participation. This meeting is being recorded on both audio and video for record keeping purposes. If you are attending virtually or by phone, please keep yourself muted to ensure no interruptions to this EVIS meeting. At this time, I will turn the meeting over to the chairman to call the meeting to order. Thanks so much. I'm John Two, Chairman, and I will begin the meeting by taking a quick attendance so we can establish a quorum. Commissioner Burry. Here. Commissioner Freeland. Here. Commissioner Gadway. Present. Commissioner Kernan. Present. Commissioner McQueen. Here. And Commissioner Weems. Here. We have full attendance. We therefore have a quorum and we are called to order. If you'd all stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. My pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, individual, liberty, and justice for all. That brings us to action on the proposed agenda. Any opinions on the proposed agenda? I move that we approve and adopt the proposed agenda. Second. We have a movement of second. All those in favor? Aye. Wonderful. And then an action on the proposed summary of actions for last month's meeting. Any motions? I move that we approve and adopt the summary of actions for the October 15, 2025. Regular meeting. Thank you, sir. Second. And we have a second also. All those in favor? Aye. That brings us to recognition of persons attending the meeting tonight. We have with us Jason Brinkley, Director of Planning and Zoning. Also from Planning and Zoning, we have Tay Harris, long range planner. We'd like to introduce to the board our new planner one for development review. I mean for long range planning, I'm sorry. Katie Strauss, she's with us tonight. We also have Kat Lockwood, Planner 2. Um, Charlene Johnson, planner two, Jay Cusineau, planner three.
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