Commission grants concept approval for 22‑unit Leonardtown Apartments with condition tied to sewer ordinance

The Leonardtown Planning and Zoning Commission granted concept site plan approval for the proposed 22‑unit Leonardtown Apartments on the west side of Courthouse Drive, conditioning final permits on the town’s repeal of Ordinance 132 concerning EDU allocation for the wastewater system. The vote on the concept plan was 2‑1.

Steve Valentine, owner of Courthouse Drive LLC, described the project as "22 luxury apartments" with covered parking on the ground level and two residential floors above. The applicant’s submission lists 6 two‑bedroom and 16 one‑bedroom units; the proposed floor area is about 13,725 square feet on a 42,688‑square‑foot parcel. Planning staff corrected terminology in the staff report and emphasized the proposal is apartments, not condominiums.

"We’ll have a covered apartment on the ground floor that's not really underground... it's kind of like, looks like a 3‑story building," Steve Valentine said, describing elevator access and the intended pedestrian connection to downtown Leonardtown.

Planning staff detailed technical requirements and outstanding items: under Town Municipal Code Chapter 155, the 22 units require roughly 2 parking spaces per unit (44 total, including two ADA spaces), and because the parcel exceeds 40,000 square feet it is subject to the town’s forest conservation rules (Municipal Code 80‑5). Staff also said the plan currently shows stormwater outfall onto adjacent town property; the town does not want additional water conveyed to that property and asked the applicant to provide an 18‑inch storm drain alternative that would tie into existing infrastructure on Courthouse Drive. The staff memo noted that Saint Mary’s County Public Works and Transportation and the Saint Mary’s County Soil Conservation District provided concept approvals dated March 27, 2025, and the town’s Capital Projects and Planning departments provided concept comments on March 31, 2025.

Civil engineer Jay Hockton (consultant) described site constraints: an existing low outfall and a ponding/drainage area at the Courthouse Drive–Park Avenue intersection, a slope behind the site that the design must bench and stabilize, and proposed rain gardens and pervious pavements to manage much of the site‑generated water. "What we propose to do to fix that is to provide a swale and cut this water off and put it over here," Hockton said, pointing to the design that redirects some runoff and adds ESD (environmental site design) treatments.

Multiple residents urged the commission to preserve mature trees on the site. One resident, identified in the meeting as Don, said he counted roughly two dozen trees between 24‑ and 40‑inch diameter and argued the plan would remove most of them and replace them with smaller saplings. "I just am not in favor with this plan," Don said, adding concerns about the visual character of the town entryway.

Applicant representatives acknowledged tree loss would occur on the steep embankment but said they had reduced the building footprint, performed a critical root analysis, and planned replanting and invasive species removal to stabilize slopes and increase species diversity. The developer said relocating some parking into an internal garage reduced surface parking and allowed more landscaping at street level.

A commissioner moved to grant concept site plan approval for Case 2‑25 with the condition that Ordinance 132 be repealed before issuance of building permits. Another member seconded. The commission recorded a 2‑1 vote in favor; the motion carried. The record does not show a detailed roll call of yes/no votes by individual commissioners.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the applicant must complete the town’s critical areas review, submit a forest conservation plan, provide final stormwater documentation (including inverts and pipe grades) during final design, and secure any required right‑of‑way or stormwater easements subject to town council approval if the design continues to propose outfall to town property.