St. Mary’s Crossing PUD draws neighborhood opposition over traffic, environmental and access concerns; hearing continued to Sept. 16

The St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners heard more than three hours of public comment and staff testimony on the St. Mary’s Crossing Planned Unit Development (PUD), during which neighbors pressed for traffic safety fixes and environmental protections and county staff said the project needs specific mitigation — including a traffic signal or a state-standard roundabout — to be compatible with existing neighborhoods.

Neighbors, representatives of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and county planning staff told the board the intersection of Hunt Club Road/Route 4 and Saint Andrews Church Road is already failing and would deteriorate if the project proceeds without major mitigation. "They have ingress and egress through the property. They don't own the property, and they don't have any right to upgrade the property," said Michael Barnes, a nearby resident, describing his concerns about an existing private right-of-way being used as developer access. Several residents urged the county to require the developer to upgrade and dedicate the private access to county standards rather than leave it as a privately maintained road.

Why this matters: County staff and several speakers said traffic at the Hunt Club/Route 4 corridor creates an immediate safety risk for existing residents, school buses and motorists. Staff framed traffic mitigation as the central compatibility issue under local rules governing PUD approvals, and recommended conditions intended to ensure public safety before large-scale construction proceeds.

Staff report and conditions: Bob Bowles of county planning read a staff report that included a draft package of 22 conditions intended to address compatibility,…