The Calvert County Planning Commission met on August 19, 2026, to consider long-range planning updates for Huntingtown and Owings town centers, a change of address appeal, a shore erosion control district project, a work session on zoning text amendments, and a proposal for a youth planning commissioner. The meeting included public comment and several unanimous or split votes.
I'm Hannah, and I'm Amy, and welcome back to Live at Linda's at Linda's. I'm the division chief for the natural resources division, and I oversee all of the nature parks within the county, which includes the Nature Center. In November of twenty twenty-two, there was a devastating fire that started in the basement of this building, and it resulted in having to gut the entire building. And so after uh three years, we finally completed those renovations, and we're getting ready to open it up back up to the public. Being closed, I've really missed being able to offer the education programs so that people can learn more about the cypress swamp and meet and greet our ambassador animals. Review and action, we have none. Item number seven, applications for site plan review and action. We have none. Number eight, major subdivision applications for preliminary review and action. We have none. Takes us to item number nine, long range planning. Kate. Yes, we have the Huntington Town Center Master Plan update on Chapter 5. And we have Tay Harris and Kat Lockwood presenting. After this one, they will be presenting on the Owens Town Center Master Plan Update, Chapter 4. Good evening, Commissioners. I'm Kat Lockwood, planner two of Long Range. I'm Tay Harris, I'm the long-range planner for Department of Planning and Zoning. Good evening. I am here this evening to talk about the Huntingtown Town Center Master Plan Udate. The master plan serves as an implementation tool for the comprehensive plan, which establishes the county's vision and is the guiding policy document for growth over the next 20 to 25 years. It includes the town center's visions, goals and objectives, demographics, land use, as well as the other topics shown in the graphic. Why update? Why update the plan to ensure consistency with the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordance? Confirm that each town center vision remains relevant. Address emerging issues such as vacant storefronts, safe access to businesses, and traffic conditions. Update information on relevant federal and state programs. A major renovation and expansion of the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department in 1995 that added three new EMS apparatus bays on the north end of the station and included a complete interior renovation featuring updated living quarters, a training room, a radio room, and a banquet hall. Zoning for the town center is shown on the map on the left in purple. The town center contains 81 parcels totaling approximately 304 acres. The town center is predominantly surrounded by the rural neighborhood district, which is in orange, which is intended to allow residential and agricultural uses as well as limited commercial uses to avoid drawing traffic on rural roads. There is one adjacent property zoned rural community district in yellow, which is intended to maintain as farms, forests, and residential uses, retain historic and scenic areas, and protect watersheds, fish, and wildlife. This district also allows limited commercial uses to avoid drawing traffic on rural roads. The town center's subdistricts are shown on the right. The mixed use subdistrict, which is in brown, the neighborhood subdistrict, which is in orange, and the residential subdistrict subdistrict, which is in gray, as well as proposed open space, which is green, a village green, which is in green and white stripes, and roads which are in red. The mixed use subdistrict allows residential, commercial, agricultural, institutional uses, and limited light industrial uses. Subdistricts are more restrictive, primarily allowing residential and some commercial uses. State-owned roads include Old Town Road and Hunting Creek Roads. The remaining roads are local. Septic and well service the town center. This slide includes the U.S. Census Bureau's census designated place, which is CDP statistics. A CDP is an unincorporated area designated by the Census Bureau and is treated like an incorporated area for data analysis. The map in the upper right shows Huntingtown CDP boundary, which includes the town center. This community has a population of 3,000 and is characterized by high educational attainment, strong homeownership, and high household incomes. About 82% of residents have at least a high school diploma. The population is primarily middle-age, with 37% of residents between 45 and 64 years old, followed by 28% under age 25. The community also has a high commuter base with 62% of residents commuting in an average total time of 45 minutes. The map on the left shows that the town center lies in Cocktown Creek, which is in red, Hunting Creek, which is in brown, and Tucker's Creek, which is in purple watersheds. The map in the middle shows streams that drain to the east to Cocktown Creek and to the south to Hunting Creek.