Planning commission reaffirms approvals for two family‑conveyance subdivisions on Ritchie Road after neighbors raise road‑maintenance concerns

At its Feb. 12 meeting, the St. Mary's County Planning Commission voted to reaffirm earlier approvals for two family‑conveyance minor subdivisions on Ritchie Road — Subdivision 06110000096 (Land of David Larson) and Subdivision 061100027 (Usher subdivision) — after staff told the commission some adjoining property owners had been misdirected to the wrong meeting and asked to speak tonight.

Why it matters: neighbors and commissioners debated whether the plats qualify for family‑conveyance treatment and whether private‑road conditions and recorded road‑maintenance agreements adequately protect safety and access as additional lots are added to an existing private road.

Staff presentation and reconsideration

Planning staff told the commission that at the Jan. 22 hearings the commission approved the two family‑conveyance items but that staff later received notice that some adjacent property owners had mistakenly been sent to a different meeting room and therefore missed the hearing. Bob Bowles, a staff member, said the county remailed notice for the Feb. 12 meeting and added both items to the agenda; he told commissioners, "we have no change to our staff reports as they stand." The commission voted to reopen both matters for…