Planning Commission recommends awarding 6.24 acres of growth allocation for Hodges family parcels

The St. Mary's County Planning Commission recommended that the Board of County Commissioners award 6.24 acres of the county's growth allocation to allow subdivision of two agricultural parcels in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area into two building lots.

The commission’s recommendation, made and moved by Miss McNeil, seconded by Mr. Evans and approved unanimously, applies to Tax Map 47 Grid 3 Parcel 328 (3.62 acres, owned by Barbara Hodges Link) and Parcel 340 (2.62 acres, owned by Lewis C. Hodges). The parcels were deeded from a larger parent parcel, Tax Map 47 Grid 3 Parcel 15 (about 36.8 acres), in a series of conveyances that staff said predated or were affected by the county critical area rules.

The action matters because the parcels lie inside St. Mary’s County’s Chesapeake Bay Critical Area overlay; awarding growth allocation changes the overlay designation from Resource Conservation Area (RCA) to Limited Development Area (LDA) for the 6.24 acres and permits creation of two buildable lots under county rules.

Staff presentation and findings

Sue (planning staff, Department of Land Use and Growth Management) reviewed the parcel history and the critical-area and growth-allocation criteria the commission must apply. Staff said the…