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Board of Appeals approves variance for Tall Timbers house to add guest quarters despite exceeding lot-coverage limit
Summary
The St. Mary’s County Board of Appeals on March 13 approved a variance for 18151 River Road in Tall Timbers that will allow owners to add guest quarters and two additions although the resulting calculated lot coverage will remain above the county limit.
LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Board of Appeals on March 13 approved a variance that lets property owners at 18151 River Road in Tall Timbers build a guest quarters and two additions even though the project will leave the lot above the county’s permitted lot-coverage limit.
The variance (VAAP 24-2067) was approved 4–1. Board staff reported the parcel is 10,000 square feet in size, zoned Rural Preservation District (RPD) with a Limited Development Area critical-area overlay, and that the lot’s allowable impervious coverage is 31.25 percent (3,125 square feet). County documents show the lot currently calculates at 4,138 square feet of coverage; the applicant proposes to remove some existing coverage and build new structures that would bring the calculated total to about 3,976 square feet — still 851 square feet over the allowable limit.
The proposal includes a 16-by-42 guest quarters, two additions to the existing home, and removal of a portion of driveway, steps, a shed and a sidewalk. Land use staff told the board the applicant will plant 2,553 square feet of mitigation and must obtain a buffer-management plan and related approvals before a building permit is issued.
Why it matters: the property lies inside the county’s critical‑area overlay; staff and the applicant stressed the application reduces impervious area in some buffer locations and requires mitigation and recorded agreements before construction begins.
The applicant’s attorney, Chris Longmore, said the project “will be a net benefit to the water quality and to the critical area,” citing a letter from the state Critical Area Commission that noted the proposed changes would reduce lot coverage and recommended the board evaluate unwarranted‑hardship standards. Longmore described the lot and house as “grandfathered” and said the owners seek to improve the property while meeting critical-area planting requirements.
Board members asked staff to confirm specifics: allowable coverage, the amount of coverage removed, and whether the guest quarters would be a separate dwelling. The applicant clarified the guest quarters will not include a full kitchen and will not be a separate, independent dwelling unit; Metcom (the local utility) will serve the unit and it will have water and a bathroom. Staff confirmed the mitigation and planning agreement are required and must be recorded.
After discussion the board approved the variance 4–1. The board directed staff to prepare the order reflecting the decision; the order will be signed by the board within 60 days and starts a 30‑day appeal period from the date the order is signed.
Ending: The board’s order and the staff file will specify the planting/mitigation and any recording requirements that must be satisfied before a building permit can be issued.
