Charles County Planning Commission Meeting – January 12, 2026

This evening meeting of the Charles County Planning Commission on January 12, 2026 covered a public hearing on the Liberty Bell preliminary subdivision plan, a conceptual subdivision plan for Cedar Ridge, and a briefing on the FY2027–31 Capital Improvement Program. The commission approved the agenda, heard personal appearances and public testimony, denied the Liberty Bell application, received Cedar Ridge comments for the applicant, and scheduled follow-up discussions and votes.

Procedural Actions

• The commission took roll call and unanimously approved the agenda as written.

Personal Appearances

• Nancy Schertler (14725 Bank City Road, Newburgh) requested information on 2026 Comprehensive Plan scenario development and public engagement. She stated the county’s Comp Plan website had not been updated for months, said surveys alone cannot substitute for open exchanges like the visioning sessions and charrettes that made the 2016 plan successful, and urged the commission to commit to active public partnership before the draft plan is finalized.
• Jacqueline Moore (Cobb Island homeowner since September 1998) expressed strong opposition to data centers in Charles County and urged creation of a task force and mandatory (“must” and “required,” not “should”) language in draft Zoning Text Amendment 25187. She cited infrastructure strain, ecological harm, rising electricity bills, and noise; proposed requirements for environmental surveys, fire department funding if diesel generators are used, desalinization plants for tidal Potomac water, closed-loop/immersion cooling (up to 1.5 million liters of water saved per day per site), e-waste disposal, no non-disclosure agreements, developer-paid infrastructure, racial equity in site selection, honest job estimates (about 50 permanent jobs, not 500), accurate revenue math, and aquifer protection.

Public Hearing: Liberty Bell PSP-250001 and Mod 104

• Staff planner Melissa Hively introduced the public hearing for Liberty Bell, a proposed five-lot single-family subdivision on a little more than 5.5 acres on Ranstead Place near Smallwood Church Road and MD 425 in the Ironsides area. It is in septic Tier 3, requiring a public hearing. Staff recommended approval of the Mod 104 private-road variance and the preliminary subdivision plan, subject to two conditions.
• Applicant planner Tim Lesnar (Lorenzi Dodson Gunnell) said the property is zoned CV, which permits one-acre residential lots; the Mod 104 is needed because the private-road regulation generally requires lots greater than three acres. He said the road would be private to avoid taxpayer cost and would have a maintenance agreement. He also addressed forest clearing, saying a violation had been remedied and vegetation had regrown.
• Commission members questioned why the applicant did not seek rezoning; staff replied that rezoning to AC or RC would reduce density to one unit per three acres and likely eliminate lots, and the Mod 104 process exists for such cases.
• Public testimony: Nancy Schertler asked the commission to deny the request, arguing the applicant had not identified an exceptional parcel-specific hardship such as narrowness, shallowness, shape, or topography, and that property size alone is not an undue hardship. Norman Sanders shared the property’s history as a well-kept farm owned by a Black World War I veteran and said the current two houses look nice.
• Commissioner Ryan Sekertowski moved to deny the Mod 104, stating the applicant did not meet the undue-hardship burden and citing concern about precedent; Jeff Bozard seconded and agreed. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.
• The commission then unanimously denied the preliminary subdivision plan as currently presented, since it depended on the denied modification.

Discussion Item: Cedar Ridge CSP-25001 Conceptual Subdivision Plan

• Staff planner Hunter Zinn presented the conceptual subdivision plan for Cedar Ridge, about 33 single-family homes on 63.61 acres zoned Rural Residential, accessed via Chapman Court/Chapman Road across from Clarks Run outside La Plata. CSPs are not approvals; public comments will be given to the applicant and must be addressed at the preliminary plan stage.
• Applicant Tim Lesnar said the density is lower than the RR zone’s theoretical one-acre density; open space would be about 25% (about 15.9 acres) versus the required 15% (about 9.5 acres). The property would use wells and septic, not public water/sewer. He acknowledged future permits would be needed for wetlands, stormwater, forest stand delineation, archaeology, and groundwater appropriation.
• Public testimony raised concerns: Andrew McGinsey (6905 Chapman Road) said he was surprised by 33 homes, was previously told the land was zoned for five 10-acre lots, and raised concerns about private-drive limits, stream crossings, wells/septic, and stormwater. Nancy Schertler argued state law requires public sewer for Tier 2 major subdivisions, so unless limited to a minor subdivision (maximum seven lots), the plan is inconsistent; she also cited forest cover, no remaining assimilative capacity, a 100-foot WSSC buffer requirement, mapping errors affecting lots 23–29, and the Comp Plan’s 1-unit-per-10-acre density for major stream valleys. Tina Jones (9892 Charles Street) described a recorded drainage easement carrying Clarks Run water through her property and asked for Army Corps evaluation to prevent flooding; she also raised traffic and road enhancement concerns. Jonathan Paxton (6100 Horseshoe Place) raised concerns about boundary lines, drainage into a ravine/creek, wildlife habitat, traffic, and possible need for a signal.
• No formal decision was made; the conceptual plan is informational, and the applicant must respond to public comments at the future PSP submittal.

Discussion Item: FY2027–31 Capital Improvement Program Briefing

• Joel (Planning and Growth Management) briefed the commission on 188 requested capital improvement projects for FY2027–31. The commission will vote on a consistency letter at the next meeting; staff assigns ratings from 1 (most consistent with the Comp Plan) to 4 (inconsistent). New projects numbered roughly 49, with requests mostly from Public Works and Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
• Examples: the La Plata Library replacement is rated 1 because the Comp Plan specifically mentions it; Port Tobacco Historic Village Repairs and Maintenance is rated 2 as a general maintenance program.
• Commissioners asked about the U.S. 301/White Plains traffic pattern, the proposed Potomac River water supply treatment plant, and the 31-year-old boiler at Matula. Joel said the state is studying U.S. 301, the Board of Education advocates for its own priorities, and the commission can add language to its letter highlighting categories of projects. The commission also asked for tracking of which projects were funded last year and which repeatedly remain on the list; Joel said he would provide more detail by the January 26 meeting.

Director’s Report

• Planning Director Rice thanked Samaya Hackett for ensuring a quorum and announced five 2026 Comp Plan public meetings (6–8 p.m.): January 29 at Waldorf Senior and Rec Center, February 12 at J.C. Parks Elementary, February 26 at Piccawaxen Middle School, March 12 at Mount Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary, and March 26 at T.C. Martin Elementary, with inclement weather make-up dates.
• Added Planning Commission meetings: January 26, regular February 2, and added February 23. The February 2 work session on the data center zoning text amendment will be held in the auditorium; roughly 15 public comments will be compiled into links for review, and it will not be an additional public comment opportunity.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda approved unanimously.
• Liberty Bell PSP-250001: Planning Commission unanimously denied the Mod 104 private-road modification, then unanimously denied the preliminary subdivision plan as presented.
• Cedar Ridge CSP-25001: No approval vote; public comments were accepted and will be transmitted to the applicant for response at the future preliminary subdivision plan stage.
• CIP: Briefing only; consistency vote and letter scheduled for the January 26, 2026 meeting.
• Meeting adjourned after the director’s report.