Commissioners continue St. Mary’s Crossing rezoning hearing after traffic, access and environmental concerns

St. Mary’s County commissioners on Sept. 9 continued a public hearing on a rezoning request and planned unit development (PUD) called St. Mary’s Crossing so staff, the applicant and residents could respond to conditions and outstanding issues including traffic on Maryland Route 4, secondary access and environmental protections.

The application covers about 249.486 acres owned by St. Mary’s Crossing LLC and seeks approval for 868 residential units — a mix of single-family detached, attached townhomes, duplexes and multifamily rental buildings — to be built in phases over roughly seven to 10 years. The applicant also offered a 26-acre school site to the Board of Education and proposed community amenities, a new well and sewer extensions.

John Norris III, attorney for the applicant, told the commissioners the development plan proposes an overall density of 3.5 units per acre and includes “single family, duplexes, townhomes, and multifamily units” on the parcel. Architect Daniel Ball described five product types ranging from 1,340-square-foot townhomes to 2,300-square-foot single-family homes; the plan includes clubhouse and pool amenities and two elevator‑served multifamily buildings.

Traffic and access were the dominant issues in testimony from staff and area residents. David Nelson, the project’s traffic engineer, said the applicant’s traffic studies modeled three development phases and a future school and that State Highway Administration (SHA)…