Charles County Planning Commission Meeting – December 1, 2025

The Charles County Planning Commission met on December 1, 2025, to consider a revision to the Parklands neighborhood preliminary subdivision plan, hold a work session on a zoning text amendment regarding encroachments on county land, and conduct routine business. The meeting included public testimony, staff presentations, and two votes.

Consent Calendar

• Roll call: Members present were Kevin Wedding, William Murray, Dawood Abdur Roman, Denard Earle. Jeffrey Bossart, Samaya Hackett, and Ryan Sekretarski were absent.
• Approval of agenda: Approved unanimously as written.
• Approval of November 17, 2025 minutes: Initially deferred due to lack of quorum; later approved unanimously after Commissioner Hackett arrived.
• Chairperson’s comments: Chairman Wedding thanked Commissioner Abdur Roman for representing the commission at a county commissioners’ affordable housing presentation.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lauren Pratt (4057 Zion Street, White Plains): Expressed concern about loud noise from St. Charles Parkway, stating that daytime noise levels are extremely loud and that federal nighttime standards do not address daytime complaints. He urged the county to require developers like Lennar to construct sound barriers.
• Sandra Martin (4057 Zion Street, White Plains): Requested that the Planning Commission condition the Parklands site plan revision on construction of an adequate sound barrier along St. Charles Parkway, or postpone approval until Lennar addresses the noise. She asserted that Lennar failed to conduct a required 10‑year noise assessment before building and that Lennar’s attorney letter felt intimidating.
• William Green (3942 Katmai Street, White Plains): Raised concerns about the planned commercial area within Parklands (wanting to know what types of businesses would be allowed and whether traffic could cut through the neighborhood), and about soil conditions (GMF soil type) potentially affecting basements.
• Dina Jackson (10693 Grand Teton Place, White Plains): Opposed the planned through‑street (Everglades Drive) connecting St. Charles Parkway to La Plata Road, citing safety and traffic concerns, and also questioned the nature of the commercial development.

Discussion Items

• Parklands Neighborhood Revision #3 (PLREV 2502): Staff (Heather Kelly) presented the proposed revision to the approved preliminary subdivision plan for the Parklands neighborhood (also known as Village of Wood Glenn, neighborhood four). The revision does not change the total number of lots (1,001) but relocates townhouses and single‑family homes for better grading, moves a dog park to a more secluded location, adds a putting green, and adjusts other amenities. Staff recommended approval subject to four new conditions (signage, site development plan updates, timing of amenity construction, future parking tabulations).

  • Applicant representatives (Steve Scott, land use attorney; Patrick Wackerly, engineer; Rick Barnes; Gary Ehrlich, acoustical engineer) explained the changes and then addressed noise complaints from residents about St. Charles Parkway. Gary Ehrlich testified that HUD noise guidelines apply only to FHA/VA financing, not to county regulations; that measured day‑night average sound levels were 59‑63 decibels (below HUD’s 65 dB threshold); and that Lennar had done everything legally required. The applicant noted they identified four homes where measured levels hit 65 dB and offered to install fences at their expense. They argued that the noise issue is not relevant to this revision (which concerns areas farther from the parkway) and that the legal foundation does not support conditioning approval on a sound barrier.
  • Planning commission members questioned the applicant about traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and the dog park’s size. Commissioner Murray acknowledged the noise complaints but agreed the issue was beyond the scope of this revision, though he suggested a future work session on noise reduction countywide.
  • Vote: The commission approved the revision with all staff conditions. Motion carried (ayes all).

• Zoning Text Amendment ZTA 25‑188 – Regulatory Enforcement of Encroachments onto County Owned Land (Work Session): Mark Potter (Associate County Attorney) and Sarah Guy (Chief of Property Acquisition) presented the proposed ZTA, which would allow the county to treat encroachments as zoning violations subject to fines (up to $200 per day) rather than requiring civil litigation. They noted 41 written comments (mostly form letters from Cobb Island residents in opposition, one in support from the county administrator). They stated the aim is to provide an additional tool to resolve encroachments found during infrastructure projects, and that the process would include multiple notices and opportunities to comply before fines accrue.

  • Commissioners expressed concerns: (1) The ZTA gives the county greater leverage than private citizens, as the county is not subject to its own zoning ordinance; (2) fines could become excessive before a property owner gets a day in court; (3) the standard operating procedure (SOP) that guides enforcement is not part of the ZTA and could be changed administratively; (4) there are no caps on fines or benchmarks for how other jurisdictions handle this. Commissioner Murray argued that Maryland’s existing civil action process (used for centuries) is fair and does not allow pre‑court fines.
  • After discussion, a motion was made to deny the ZTA as written and forward it to the county commissioners with specific reasons for denial. The motion passed (ayes all). The reasons cited included: lack of a maximum fine amount, absence of benchmarks from comparable jurisdictions, need for a framework document (not just an SOP) to ensure equity and fairness, and the principle that state law already provides a fair process for encroachments.

• New Business: Commissioner Wedding raised concerns about the meeting facilities at the previous meeting (data centers), where over 200 members of the public were split between a small meeting room, an overflow room, and the auditorium. He recommended that for any public hearing with significant expected attendance, the meeting should be held in the auditorium to accommodate the public. Other commissioners agreed.

• Director’s Report: Charles Rice (Planning Director) provided updates on the comprehensive plan update (public outreach beginning in early 2026), introduced new deputy director Tony Feltz (formerly of Prince George’s County), and reminded that the public record for the data center ZTA remains open until January 5, 2026, with a work session scheduled for February 2, 2026. Commissioner Abdur Roman asked for regional benchmarking data on data centers to be included in the work session materials.

Key Outcomes

• Parklands Neighborhood Revision #3: Approved unanimously, subject to staff conditions.
• ZTA 25‑188 (Encroachments): Denied by the Planning Commission; recommendation of denial with stated reasons will be forwarded to the Charles County Commissioners for their public hearing and decision.
• Meeting Facilities: Commissioner Wedding requested that future public hearings with large attendance be held in the larger auditorium.
• Data Centers: Staff to compile regional benchmarking data for the February 2 work session.
• November 17, 2025 Minutes: Approved unanimously after quorum was achieved.