Planning commission approves concept site plan for six‑unit cottage apartments in Mechanicsville

The St. Mary's County Planning Commission on Feb. 24 approved, by a unanimous vote, a concept site plan (CSP 24‑0345) for a six‑unit multifamily rental building proposed near Three Notch Road (MD‑235) at Old Village Road in Mechanicsville. The commission’s approval was conditional: required road improvements identified by state or county agencies must be completed concurrent with issuance of certificates of occupancy, and the applicant must obtain a variance from the Board of Appeals to reduce a B‑type buffer yard to a C‑type buffer yard adjacent to a neighboring parcel.

Staff described the property as located in the county’s Mixed Use Medium Intensity land‑use area with TMX zoning, and confirmed that the proposed use (multifamily residence, use type 16) is permitted in TMX. The staff report summarized applicable development standards (lot coverage, minimum open space and landscaping), resource protection findings and that the project as shown met ordinance requirements for a concept site plan. The staff presentation also noted the plan required transfer of development rights (TDRs) and certain landscaping and buffer yard elements.

Applicant presentation and design Land surveyor Wayne Hunt and agent Jean Burrows presented the application on behalf of property owners Michael and Jennifer O’Brien. The current parcel contains a single‑family home and an accessory garage; the proposed building footprint roughly replaces the existing house. The design shows one building with six rental units (one‑ and two‑bedroom layouts), twelve resident parking spaces and three guest spaces, a planted buffer along the residential side, and amenity/usable open space in front of the building. Burrows and Hunt said the building was intended to read as residential in scale and materials and that the plan is less intense than a prior, decade‑old approval for a different project on the site.

Neighbor concerns and agency checks Two nearby residents spoke during public testimony. Karina Karsbaum and Erin Sears, both of Old Village Road, expressed concerns about vehicle access where Old Village Road meets MD‑235 (including observed disregard for stop signs), pedestrian access to nearby amenities such as the Three Notch Trail, and potential impacts to private wells given prior nearby subdivision development. Hunt said the project’s traffic access is planned off Old Village Road — a lower‑classification road — and that the county adequate‑public‑facilities review indicated local roads operate at acceptable levels of service; staff told the commission that the plan complied with off‑street parking and that school‑bus pickup and county utility reviews had received notice and offered no objections in the staff record. The applicant noted the site presently uses on‑site wells and septic/drain field arrangements and that the health department and well driller will determine required well depths and septic system design during permitting.

Buffers, permits and stormwater Commissioners discussed the required 6‑foot opaque fence and the ordinance’s preferred fence placement relative to the planting area; the applicant said the panel would follow the ordinance and that the Board of Appeals will consider any requested fence/buffer modifications. Staff and the applicant confirmed the current concept shows stormwater controls sized for the planned impervious area and that the project remains under the one‑acre threshold that would trigger a separate NPDES permit, but that required erosion‑control and stormwater measures will be determined during later site‑plan review.

Conditions, vote and next steps The planning commission motion approved the concept site plan with the stated conditions: that any road improvements required by State or County be concurrent with issuance of certificates of occupancy, and that the applicant obtain a Board of Appeals variance to reduce the B buffer to a C buffer on the west side adjacent to Parcel 178 Lot 1. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The applicant must complete the variance process and provide any required TDRs and agency approvals during major site‑plan review and permitting.

Clarifying details: the applicant indicated the plan reduces intensity from an older approved proposal and represents six rental units; the site is described in staff materials as near Three Notch Road/Old Village Road in Mechanicsville and as being in the Wicomico watershed for environmental review. The planning commission recorded the approval and the applicant will proceed to the Board of Appeals and to major site‑plan review and permitting.