Commissioners select Hayden Farm for new Leonardtown library and senior activity center after contentious debate

After extended debate and public comment, the Commissioners of St. Mary's County voted on May 12, 2015 to designate Hayden Farm as the site for a new county library and a senior activity center.

The decision followed multiple presentations, emails and public testimony over several weeks about two candidate sites: a county-owned parcel at Hayden Farm and a downtown Leonardtown site for which the town and private parties had offered donated land. Commissioners discussed traffic and access, sewer capacity, parking and the potential economic-development effects of a downtown location. Planning and county staff provided written and oral material on site readiness and permitting considerations.

Commissioner Todd Morgan argued in favor of the downtown Leonardtown site, saying it would link the library to nearby shops, restaurants and pedestrian activity and cited opportunities for catalytic economic development in the town center. "The Lawrence Avenue location prevails on this amenity with nearby shops, restaurants, etc.," a planning staff memo the board reviewed said, and several commissioners noted that the downtown site has multiple ingress/egress points and fiber infrastructure in place.

Other commissioners favored the Hayden Farm site primarily because the county already owns the land and officials said that ownership reduces the risk of lengthy delays tied to donated parcels and private negotiations. Commissioner Mike Hewitt said he would not commit to reserving large taxpayer dollars for property the county does not yet own. Several commissioners expressed frustration that a proposed face-to-face meeting with the private landowner who had discussed donating acreage did not take place before the vote; one commissioner said the meeting would have violated open-meetings restrictions because more than two commissioners would have been present without notice.

The board voted to designate Hayden Farm by majority vote. The vote was taken after a motion and a second; the chair announced the motion carried and that the county would move forward with planning for the site.

What the decision means The vote directs county staff to proceed with site planning and coordination for a combined library and senior center at Hayden Farm. County staff and the library board will still have to complete design, permitting and funding arrangements. Commissioners who opposed the Hayden Farm designation said they would continue to support the project and urged rapid progress to get a shovel in the ground.

Context The selection follows several years of study and prior planning documents that included library options at Hayden Farm. The recorded debate at the May 12 meeting focused on trade-offs: owning land now (which can speed delivery but concentrates development in one area) versus accepting donated downtown land (which could spur downtown economic activity but raised uncertainty about timing and additional off-site infrastructure costs).

Ending Commissioners asked staff to return with implementation steps; the board signaled it expects staff to address traffic and sewer capacity analyses, project phasing and design options and to brief the commissioners as the project advances.