St. Mary's County holds public hearing on proposed ban on new homes in APZ 2 near Pax River

St. Mary's County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 22, 2007 held a public hearing on a proposed text amendment to the county zoning ordinance that would prohibit new residential development in the Air Installations Compatible Use Zone’s Accident Potential Zone 2 (APZ 2) around Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

The amendment, presented by Dennis Canavan, director of the county Department of Land Use and Growth Management, is intended to prevent unplanned future residential development within roughly 1,100 acres mapped as APZ 2. Canavan told the board that existing residences would be allowed to remain and that vacant recorded lots and subdivisions with plans submitted before April 10, 2007 would be grandfathered and could proceed under specified conditions.

Canavan said the amendment implements recommendations from the county’s 2007 encroachment study and is designed to protect the long-term operations of the Navy installation while not rendering existing homes nonconforming. “Anyone that has a residence in this ACUS, APZ 2 zone would be allowed to continue it,” Canavan said. He identified about 762 properties in the overlay and said notices were mailed to roughly 633 property owners; 14 notices were returned as undeliverable. The staff presentation noted three parcels that staff considered most affected (tax map 51 parcels 331, 265 and…