Commission directs staff to craft ordinance tightening cluster-subdivision buffer rules

The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission authorized staff to prepare an ordinance to revise county code paragraph 18-1-218 addressing cluster-subdivision buffer yards, including when buffers must be planted, planting density and species standards, and limiting the requirement to major cluster subdivisions.

Rob Gunter, the county's principal planner, summarized proposed changes that move existing paragraph text into a bulleted format for clarity, require the buffer yard to be implemented prior to issuance of permits (typically at the grading-permit stage when roads and infrastructure are installed), and suggest landscaping specifications drawn from the county's utility-scale solar landscaping standards. "We were requiring that the property owner would have to implement the buffer yard prior to the issuance of a permit," Gunter said, noting that major cluster subdivisions typically begin with grading and infrastructure permits and that requiring planting at that stage places responsibility with the developer.

Staff presented options for measurable planting standards. The draft includes language used in the county's solar regulations: for every 100 linear feet of buffer (previously calculated for a 50-foot buffer), the developer would plant canopy trees, understory trees/large shrubs and small shrubs. One example discussed was the prior 50-foot standard that required 7 canopy trees, 15 understory trees or large shrubs and 13 (previously misstated as 30 in earlier code) small shrubs per 100 linear feet; commissioners proposed scaling those numbers for a 30-foot buffer and asked staff to set a clear numeric density so reviewers can count compliance. Commissioners suggested reducing the previous 50-foot shrub count proportionally; staff estimated a comparable 30-foot-width shrub count in the range of 18 to 22 small shrubs per 100 linear feet depending on final standard choices. Gunter said the draft borrows the plant-species spacing approach from the utility-scale solar regulations and referenced typical on-center spacing of 8 to 10 feet for many evergreens.

Commissioners and staff discussed whether the buffer requirement should apply to small cluster subdivisions (five or fewer lots) where lots may abut road frontage and a continuous edge buffer is impractical. The commission directed staff to apply the revised buffer-yard standard to "major cluster subdivisions"—those with internal access and a contiguous buffer that can protect adjacent agricultural uses—while excluding scattered small clusters where a holistic buffer would not serve the intended purpose.

A resolution read aloud by a commissioner directed staff to draft an ordinance "as drafted above that include any edits and changes that come up from conversation, deemed appropriate." The motion to adopt the resolution received a second and the commission voted in favor; staff will present the ordinance for public hearing and formal recommendation in a future meeting.

The draft also references plant-material standards (ANSI plant standards) and the county's utility-scale solar landscaping requirements as guidance; commissioners asked staff to cite those standards explicitly and to specify numeric spacing/density so enforcement is straightforward.

Next steps: Staff will prepare the ordinance language incorporating the discussed edits, return it on a future agenda for a public hearing, and then forward a recommendation to the county commissioners.