Calvert County planning staff weigh four options for Owings Town Center after public survey

Calvert County planning staff presented community survey results and four zoning options for the Owings Town Center at a public meeting, and discussed potential impacts to existing businesses and infrastructure. No formal zoning change was made at the meeting.

Tay, planning staff with the Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning, told attendees that the department ran an online survey about the Owings Town Center from July 23 through August 25 and received 214 completed responses. “The Department of Planning and Zoning made an online survey available to the public from July 23 through August 25,” Tay said. Staff also noted that postcards were mailed about three weeks before the survey opened but that some residents did not receive them.

The survey results and presentation showed participants’ profiles and priorities: about 6% of respondents did not live in Owings; 9% had lived there fewer than five years, 29% between five and 19 years, 31% between 20 and 29 years, and 26% 30 years or more. Age-group responses were concentrated among older residents: about 43% of respondents were 60 or older. When asked whether the area should remain a town center or be redesignated a Rural Commercial District (RCD), 39% favored keeping it a town center and 61%…