Planning commission approves Goddard Self Storage concept plan with conditions after neighborhood concerns

The Saint Mary's County Planning Commission on June 14 approved concept site plan CSP24‑0330 for a 111,400‑square‑foot self‑storage facility proposed at 24175 Point Lookout Road, Latimer, in a Corridor Mixed Use (CMX) zoning district. The approval followed extensive testimony from applicants and neighbors over traffic, stormwater and neighborhood character; the commission attached conditions intended to address lighting, stormwater inspection and potential road improvements.

Planner Shawn Lee summarized the staff report, which found the proposal consistent with the comprehensive plan and the CMX zone’s standards for personal storage (Use #66). Lee said staff reviewed development standards including perimeter buffers, lighting restrictions, limits on building size (no building larger than 25,000 square feet), minimum landscaping and parking requirements; staff entered the report into the public hearing record as Exhibit 2.

Attorney Steve Scott (Scott Law Group) and civil engineer Ken Krause (Soltes Incorporated) presented the application on behalf of trustee Margaret Goddard and the ownership group. Krause described a site layout of seven buildings totaling 111,400 square feet, including four two‑story enclosed buildings and three single‑story structures; he said the design includes a 30‑foot planted buffer on the property line adjacent to the Hanover/neighboring subdivision and a six‑foot opaque perimeter fence behind that buffer. Krause also described a stormwater approach that uses four micro‑bioretention facilities and a submerged gravel wetland to manage quantity and quality, and said the design controls would not increase runoff to the existing downstream pond beyond current rates except for a small increase in the 100‑year event that the team said did not negatively affect pond freeboard.

Traffic consultant Jackie Plott (Traffic Concepts) told the commission personal storage is a low trip‑generator: the Institute of Transportation Engineers rates the expected peak‑hour generation at roughly 10 trips in the morning peak and 17 trips in the evening peak. Plott said those volumes fall well below the county threshold that requires a full traffic impact study (50 peak‑hour trips). Plott also said recent State Highway Administration intersection counts showed low‑to‑moderate operations and that the commission’s required level of service for the development district is D or better.

Applicants said the restored house on site would serve as the office; proposed operations include key‑code gate access, on‑site security cameras, minimal lighting directed down at overhead doors and an office, and gate hours that would limit incoming gate access around 10 p.m. Randy Whitsall, one of the project owners, said the operation would be family‑run and that the owners intend to rehabilitate the historic house on the site.

Multiple residents from nearby Hanover Farm testified against the project or raised concerns about traffic safety at the adjacent intersection of Route 5 and Medleys Neck Road, stormwater runoff into an existing pond in Hanover Farm, and light and noise impacts. Garrett Schuyler, a resident, told the commission the location is “irresponsible” given proximity to Leonardtown Middle and High Schools and the county fairgrounds and urged denial on traffic‑safety grounds. Other speakers described prior collisions on Route 5, difficulty making left turns from their neighborhood, and a history of the downstream pond filling during heavy rains.

Applicants responded to questions during rebuttal: Krause said the design keeps the same natural drainage paths and controls runoff on site; he said the team had already submitted stormwater information to the county and Public Works and anticipated further review at step‑two engineering. Whitsall offered to restore the house as an office and described proposed on‑site security features and restricted hours to limit late‑night activity.

After deliberation the commission approved the concept site plan on a roll‑call vote, attaching these conditions: (1) motion‑activated or motion‑detecting lighting along the buildings adjacent to the residential buffer to reduce all‑night illumination, (2) the applicant shall cooperate with the Hanover Farm homeowners association and the Department of Public Works and Transportation (and other applicable agencies) to facilitate any necessary inspections or remedial work to downstream stormwater facilities, and (3) the applicant shall pursue a deceleration lane (right‑turn/auxiliary lane) or other entrance improvements if approved by the State Highway Administration; any road improvements required by state or county shall be completed concurrent with issuance of the certificate of occupancy. The motion passed with all commissioners recorded as aye.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed to step‑two site development and technical engineering reviews; detailed stormwater, traffic (as required), and state‑highway entrance approvals remain prerequisites to final permits.