Planning commission approves concept site plan for 136,750 sq ft Home Depot at Oak Crest

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve concept site plan CSP 25-0047 for a 136,750-square-foot Home Depot proposed at 44766 Oakcrest Road in California, Maryland. The commission accepted staff findings that the project meets the applicable provisions of the comprehensive zoning ordinance and related development standards and approved the plan subject to a condition requiring that any county or state road improvements be concurrent with certificate-of-occupancy issuance.

The planning staff presentation, delivered by Planner 3 Shawn Layblasco of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, summarized the application as a permitted Use Type 76 (retail sales, general) in the PUDIP zoning district with AE overlay and noted applicable standards including Section 51.3 (specific regulations), Schedule 32.1 (development standards), Chapter 63 (landscaping and buffer yards), Chapter 64 (off-street parking and loading) and Chapter 71 (resource protection). Layblasco said staff’s findings show the concept design meets those standards and that no sensitive environmental areas were located on the parcel.

The applicant team described the proposal in detail. Chris Longmore of Dugan, McKissick & Longmore introduced the development history of the Oak Crest PUD and said mitigation required for prior approvals — including a previously required third lane on Route 235 near the project — has been constructed. Jeff Smith of Kimley‑Horn, the civil engineer for the project, reviewed access options (two direct site access points and a third connection providing a right‑in/right‑out to Route 235), the site stormwater strategy, landscaping, and fire access. John Kurikis of Greenberg Farrow, representing Home Depot, presented elevations and building layout; he said the roughly 27,000‑square‑foot garden center will be about 70% open to air and that the store follows a standard Home Depot design.

Traffic analysis and mitigation were the most‑discussed topics. Jackie Plott of Traffic Concepts said the Home Depot generates a pass‑by percentage (from ITE trip assumptions) that reduces new trip generation compared with the previously planned flex buildings; she estimated a 42% pass‑by rate for Home Depot trips. Plott said the mitigation already constructed with earlier approvals over‑mitigated the nearby intersection and that even with peak‑hour differences the constructed improvements address the projected traffic impact. The applicants also told the commission that typical delivery activity averages about 40–45 deliveries per day (including box trucks and tractor‑trailers), that deliveries are usually scheduled early in the day (around 6 a.m. or earlier), and that tractor‑trailers will use the internal site circulation off Oakcrest Road rather than the Route 235 signalized intersection.

Members of the public spoke both for and against the proposal. James (Jimmy) Hayden, an owner of property adjacent to the site, said he was not opposed but asked for improved safety measures and expressed concern about the site layout and parking. David Edwards said he favored a Home Depot in the county but raised traffic concerns countywide. Joan Sullivan Cowan and Troy Kellen, who identified themselves as local residents, raised concerns about possible impacts on existing, long‑standing local building‑supply businesses and asked the commission to consider local economic effects; the county deputy attorney noted case law prevents using competition with existing businesses as a basis for denying an application. Several speakers urged the applicant and property owner to “take care of your neighbors” and requested continued attention to traffic safety at the Oakcrest intersection and the bisecting driveway between Chipotle and Royal Farms.

Applicants clarified site layout and parking. John Kurikis and Jeff Smith said the plan provides 451 customer parking spaces plus 41 additional stalls intended for outdoor sales/storage (mulch, sheds, etc.). The team explained the 41 stalls are in an area intended for merchandise display and that the applicant has provided a total of 491 marked spaces on the plan but described 41 of those as encumbered by outdoor sales use, so 451 regular customer spaces remain available. The applicants said the site impervious area and building footprint are smaller than what had been approved for previously planned flex/warehouse buildings on the parcel.

After deliberation the commission made the findings required by Section 60.6 of the county’s comprehensive zoning ordinance and approved the concept site plan. The approval included a condition that any road improvements required by state or county authorities be completed concurrent with issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the project. A roll call recorded all present commissioners voting in favor. The commission also discussed, as part of the public record, that the wider Oak Crest PUD and related mitigation remain subject to the county’s adequate public facilities (APF) agreement and that some roadway improvements referenced in earlier hearings are designed, permitted by the state highway authority, and bonded for construction.

The approval advances the project to the next review phases; the applicants and staff said subsequent submissions will address detailed engineering, final site design, landscaping, and stormwater control and that the director of Land Use and Growth Management will review the requested parking reduction under the ordinance before any building permits are issued.