Leonardtown planning commission votes to recommend 2025 comprehensive plan update to town council

The Leonardtown Planning and Zoning Commission on March 11 voted to recommend that the Town Council adopt the town’s updated 2025 Comprehensive Plan, Ordinance No. 227, after staff reviewed state and county comments and proposed revisions.

Staff member (identified in the record as “Speaker 3”) told the commission that the draft plan was sent to the state and county for the required 60-day review, that comments were returned on March 11, and that staff and the consultant had provided proposed responses to those comments. "This public hearing is for ordinance number 227 in regards to the Leonardtown 2025 comprehensive plan update," Speaker 3 said during the presentation.

The plan update addresses the state-required elements under the Maryland Land Use Article — including land use, housing, transportation, community facilities and sensitive areas — and adds local sections on community character, downtown development and the waterfront. Staff said the plan is intended as a policy guide and does not itself adopt specific zoning changes; the plan recommends further code updates such as zoning and subdivision amendments and potential adoption of form-based code in targeted downtown locations.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan guides future annexations, land-use decisions and…