St. Mary’s County hearing reviews mapping error that left Harborview Marina without commercial marine zoning

On Nov. 10, 2008, the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on a Planning Commission recommendation to correct a drafting error on official zoning map sheet 39 that affects properties in the Compton area, including Harborview Marina (case no. 08-245-001).

Jeff Jackman, senior planner with the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, told the board the zoning maps adopted in May 2002 contain a drafting error that placed Commercial Marine (CM) zoning on the wrong parcel. "Staff therefore recommends maintaining the RPD zoning and, denying the Centimeters zoning would then render the, marina the same status that it is today, a non conforming use, which does not deny, reasonable use of the property," Jackman said.

The Planning Commission, by resolution 08-15, recommended correcting the map and applying CM zoning to all of Parcel 16 (Harborview Villas lot 1). Property owner Lehi Dorsey, who asked the board to support the Planning Commission, described the issue as a mapping mistake and said the marina has a long commercial history. "Mister president, this is a drafting error. It's not a zoning error," Dorsey said, urging the county to restore the intended CM designation.

Nut graf: The dispute before the commissioners centers on whether to correct a 2002 mapping error that places commercial zoning on an adjacent parcel, or to leave the parcel zoned Rural Preservation District (RPD), which…