The St. Mary's County Planning Commission voted April 27 to accept the Department of Land Use and Growth Management's report and recommend that the Board of County Commissioners carry forward the county's Annual Growth Policy, as adopted Aug. 19, 2008 and continued through fiscal years 2010–2015, into fiscal year 2016.

The policy caps the number of new subdivision lots and site‑plan approvals that can be authorized each year, directs residential development toward designated growth areas and away from rural preservation areas, and limits the types of residential development allowed, County staff said. "It's not a policy that applies to building permits," said Dave Chapman, Capital Facilities Planner, Department of Land Use and Growth Management. "It applies to the approval of new subdivision lots or new multi‑family dwelling unit site plan approval." Chapman added that once a lot is approved, the policy does not limit whether a building permit may be issued for that lot.

Chapman told commissioners that, under the current accounting, the county could have approved 815 new dwelling units during the policy year but had approved only 42 — roughly 5 percent of that cap — meaning the growth limits in the policy had not been approached. He also noted the policy historically allows an annual increase in the number of allowable dwellings of 1.9 percent, measured on the county fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Chapman directed commissioners to tables in the department report that show how approvals are counted (Table 1), how actual approvals relate to potential approvals (Table 2), remaining adequacy of public facilities, particularly school capacity (Table 3), and a breakdown of allowable increases if the 1.9 percent rate is continued for the coming fiscal year (Table 4). He answered a commissioner question clarifying that the numeric project identifiers shown in the report are recording references used in land records, and that the table column labeled "project name" includes the number of dwelling units approved for each entry.

A commissioner said the state has moved to limit development in some rural areas by capping the number of lots allowed on a parcel at seven, and suggested that change may prompt a future review of how allocations are handled for the county's rural area. Commissioners agreed to consider revising allocations at a later date if needed, but no change was made that night.

With no further questions, the commission moved, seconded and approved — by voice vote — a motion that "the planning commission accept the report of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management and recommend to the board of county commissioners that the terms and rates of the annual growth policy as adopted on August 19, 2008 and continued in fiscal years 2010, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 be carried forward in fiscal year 2016." The motion was seconded by Miss Roper and approved on a voice vote.

The commission did not take additional substantive action on the policy at the meeting. Commissioners closed the agenda items and noted that the next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for May 11; members flagged that the May 11 meeting includes three public hearings and a work session and could run late.

(Reporting detail: Dave Chapman presented the staff report as Capital Facilities Planner, Department of Land Use and Growth Management. The commission's action was a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners; final adoption or amendment of county policy would be decided by the board.)