Caroline County launches comprehensive-plan update; state solar law and infrastructure top concerns

Caroline County planning officials held the first public outreach meeting on updating the county's 10‑year comprehensive plan, laying out a roughly 18‑month timetable for drafting chapters and warning residents that recent state legislation will limit some local land‑use controls.

"Tonight is the first of several meetings that we'll have outreach meetings that we have as we start to update the county's comprehensive plan," said Jeff Jackson, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Olivia (planning staff) described the comprehensive plan as "a guide for how the county will grow. Think of it as a map, an outline." The meeting included county staff, the county attorney and the county administrator and drew public questions about housing, water and solar development.

The planning staff said the update will follow state requirements and will be divided into chapters (natural resources, land use, priority preservation area, water resources, community facilities, transportation, economic development and housing). Staff presented an aggressive schedule: draft chapters will be reviewed monthly by the Planning and Zoning Commission during its regular meetings (second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.), with a public‑hearing process once a full draft is assembled. A citizen survey completed in 2022 was…