Calvert County Planning Commission Regular Meeting – June 17, 2026

The Calvert County Planning Commission held a hybrid regular meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, convening at 7:00 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room of the County Administration Building in Prince Frederick and virtually via Teams. Chairman Wilson Freeland presided, and all seven commissioners were present, confirming a quorum. The commission waived the Pledge of Allegiance, unanimously adopted the proposed agenda, and unanimously approved the Summary of Actions from the May 20, 2026 regular meeting. No items were listed for final subdivision review, site plan review, or preliminary subdivision review. (Meeting minutes were not available in the source materials.)

Consent Calendar

• Proposed agenda adopted unanimously.
• Summary of Actions for the May 20, 2026 Planning Commission regular meeting approved unanimously.
• No major subdivision final reviews, site plan reviews, or preliminary subdivision applications were scheduled (agenda items 6–8).

Discussion Items

MSDFP-138189, Old Anchor Farm – Request to Remove Intra-Family Designation

• Deferred from the May 20, 2026 meeting. Staff Planner Jay Cousineau presented a revised report confirming the two lots at issue as Lot 3 (1970 Old Anchor Road, developed with a house) and Lot 4 (1980 Old Anchor Road, undeveloped).
• Staff explained that the intra-family designation provided bonus density permitted in the Critical Area; the five-lot subdivision was recorded in 2021; and, absent action, the intra-family covenants would expire automatically after seven years, in 2028. Approving the request would accelerate that removal by about two years, and the applicant would still be required to purchase five TDRs or pay the equivalent to the purchase-and-retire fund. Staff also confirmed there is no agricultural easement on the property.
• Property owner Randy Williams stated he purchased the property in 2017 and spent three years completing the subdivision. He described changed family circumstances: his youngest daughter relocated to Western Maryland for work, his oldest daughter is separated and financially burdened by maintaining two households, and his son, who had prepared architectural drawings, no longer plans to build because his sisters have moved away.
• One commissioner expressed the position that Lot 3 clearly meets the qualifying change-of-circumstances criteria (declining health, military or professional transfer, divorce, death, or other consistent circumstances), but Lot 4 does not qualify because it is unoccupied and has no structure.
• Chairman Freeland asked hypothetically about recombining the five lots into the original parcel. Planning & Zoning Director Jason Brinkley responded that a replat would require agreement of all property owners and would be a months-long process.
• A commissioner moved to approve removal of the intra-family designation for both Lots 3 and 4, subject to staff-recommended conditions. The motion carried; Commissioner Gadway voted no.

Draft 2026 Maryland Department of Planning Annual Report

• Long Range Planner Tay Harris presented the annual report required by Title 1-207 of the Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code. The report must be filed with the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) by July 1 and made available to the Board of County Commissioners; it covers calendar year 2025.
• Residential permits: 118 issued, 66 inside the Priority Funding Area (PFA) and 52 outside.
• Approved subdivisions: 15 total, 10 outside the PFA and 5 inside. Approved site plans: 16 total per the report’s summary; a slide break-out counts 12 inside and 5 outside the PFA, a 17-plan total that is not reconciled in the source materials.
• Capital improvements: 49 projects; 24 appear on the map because they have specific addresses, with the rest countywide or located within town centers.
• Development capacity: 7,265 residentially zoned acres with capacity (890 inside the PFA, 6,375 outside); potential for 1,151 lots/parcels (352 inside, 799 outside); and potential for 4,861 residential units (2,010 inside, 2,851 outside).
• Agricultural preservation: no transactions in 2025. The county goal is 40,000 preserved acres, representing 28.6% of the county’s land mass; 32,807 acres are currently preserved, 82% of the goal. The Calvert County Agricultural Preservation District Program alone has preserved 24,274 acres.
• Adequate public facilities deferments: none in 2025.
• New this year, the report includes excise tax reporting (Section 7): total excise taxes collected were $528,156 for transportation, schools, residential solid waste, commercial solid waste, and recreation; the county budget allocates $4.7 million from excise taxes.
• A commissioner moved to approve the report as presented and direct staff to forward it to MDP and the Board of County Commissioners, with draft letters to Todd Ireland, President of the Board of County Commissioners, and Rebecca Flora, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning. The motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during the public comment period, in person, by phone, or virtually.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda and May 20, 2026 Summary of Actions approved unanimously.
• MSDFP-138189 (Old Anchor Farm) approved: removal of the intra-family designation for Lots 3 and 4, subject to staff-recommended conditions; one dissenting vote (Commissioner Gadway).
• 2026 Maryland Department of Planning Annual Report approved as presented; staff directed to transmit it to MDP and the Board of County Commissioners.
• Meeting adjourned by unanimous consent with no further business.