Board of Appeals hears variance request to alter lot coverage at 18151 River Road in Tall Timbers

The St. Mary's County Board of Appeals on March 13 held a public hearing on a variance application for 18151 River Road in the Tall Timbers neighborhood that would replace existing impervious surfaces with a proposed guest quarters and small additions to the main house.

The application, filed for a 10,000-square-foot parcel zoned Rural Preservation District (RPD) and within the Critical Area Limited Development Area (LDA), seeks relief from St. Mary's County Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) lot-coverage limits so the property owners can demolish some existing hard surfaces and build a guest living area and two additions. The board did not take a final vote during the hearing.

The case matters because the lot lies inside the county Critical Area overlay, where impervious-surface limits are intended to protect water quality. County planning staff said the proposed change would reduce total impervious surface compared with current conditions but would still exceed the ordinance limit for the lot.

Staff and applicant details Staff presented that the parcel is 10,000 square feet, that the allowable lot coverage under county rules is 31.25 percent (3,125 square feet), and that the property currently measures roughly 4,138 square feet of impervious surface. The staff report and slides show the applicant…