Planning commission sends Prince Frederick town center plan back for revisions on traffic language, keeps record open

The Calvert County Planning Commission on May 21, 2025 voted to direct Planning and Zoning staff to add explicit language about traffic congestion to the draft Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan and to keep the public record open for additional review. The motion also reiterated a prior April 16 commission direction that failing intersections and the consequences under the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) be described in the draft.

Tae Harris, long-range planner for the Department of Planning and Zoning, presented draft Chapters 1 (Town Centers) and 2 (Prince Frederick Town Center) of the county's Master Plan of Town Centers and summarized key elements: purpose and vision for town centers, recommended land uses and five focus areas, watershed-level natural-resource planning, heritage and archaeology considerations, housing forecasts (the plan notes roughly 1,700 existing housing units in the town center with anticipated redevelopment and infill), transportation needs including intersections nearing capacity, and water resources and stormwater management considerations.

During an extended discussion several commissioners said the draft did not reflect a unanimous April 16 commission directive to include text saying certain intersections are failing under APFO criteria and to explain the potential restrictions that failure would place on new commercial and residential development in affected areas. A planning commissioner noted that, under APFO rules, failure can trigger developer remediation, state or county-funded remediation, or a multi-year delay on development.

A member of the public, Bob Estes of Friends of Hunting Creek, spoke in favor of environmental protections and noted watershed impervious-surface thresholds and the value of preserving pervious surfaces. Commissioners and staff discussed options for keeping the plan accurate as conditions change; planning staff signaled concern about hard-coding intersection lists because traffic conditions evolve. Commissioners asked that planning staff include specific failing intersections as of the plan's publication date and add a reference — for example, a hyperlink — to a Department of Public Works-maintained, continuously updated list of intersections and APFO status so readers can find current data without triggering repeated plan text amendments.

A commissioner moved that Planning and Zoning be required to add text under the traffic-congestion section that identifies specific intersections failing under APFO criteria (including the intersections cited by commissioners during the hearing) and to keep the public record open for additional comment; the motion included language that remedies likely to restore adequacy should be listed in an appendix where practicable. After a friendly amendment to leave timing of record closure open, the motion passed on a voice vote. Commissioners also asked Planning and Zoning to schedule a work session with the Department of Public Works to review which failures might be remediable by signal timing or other lower-cost measures and which would require major construction.

No final consistency finding or formal adoption was made at the May 21 hearing; the record will remain open while staff prepares revised text and supporting materials for further review.