Planning commission recommends rezoning of Great Mills Goddard Road property to mixed‑use

The St. Mary's County Planning Commission on Feb. 24 recommended that the county commissioners rezone an 8.27‑acre property at 20698 Goddard Road in Great Mills from Rural Preservation to Mixed Use Medium Intensity and include it in the Lexington Park Development District. The commission voted 5–2 to forward a favorable recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

The rezoning request, filed by property owners Robert and Robin Belden and presented by agent Christopher Longmore, seeks to change the land‑use designation and corresponding zoning to MXM (Medium Intensity Mixed Use). Longmore told the commission the application is being presented as a “substantial change” case rather than a claim of a prior zoning mistake and asked the commission for a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners.

Commissioners considered several factors in their deliberations: the property’s proximity to existing MXM and industrial parcels on Maryland Route 5, recent commercial activity nearby (including a relocated post office), and the long‑planned — but currently delayed — state road improvements at the Route 5/Route 246…