Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves amended RV‑1 use changes, will forward zoning change to town council
Summary
The commission voted to make several uses (including recreational/fitness studios and certain professional/retail uses) conditional in the RV‑1 zone—limited to preexisting mixed‑use/multifamily buildings—and will forward the amendment to the town council for final action.
The Chesapeake Beach Planning & Zoning Commission voted on Nov. 19 to amend the RV‑1 land‑use table so several uses would become conditional in that zone rather than categorically prohibited. The change—approved by a voice vote at the meeting—applies a preexisting condition so the uses would only be allowed as integral parts of an existing mixed‑use commercial and multifamily development recorded prior to the ordinance cutoff date.
Why it matters: The change was made, in part, to address a specific pending request: a member of the public, Tanya Darvandy, told the commission she is under consideration to buy a first‑floor commercial unit in the Horizons mixed‑use building at 8501 Bayside Road and asked that recreational fitness uses be permitted so she could open a small Pilates/wellness studio serving building residents.
What the commission did: A motion was made to change several numbered entries in the land‑use table for RV‑1 (notably professional offices, therapeutic massage, selected retail/convenience and recreational/fitness studios) to "conditional uses" and to apply the conditions already written for the zone (restricting such conditional uses to those that are part of the permitted mixed‑use/multifamily development). The commission amended the motion on the floor to reference the specific existing condition from the land‑use chart and approved the amended motion; the measure will be forwarded to the town council for final approval.
Quotes and context: At public comment, Tanya Darvandy described her proposal and its local demand, saying she would "respectfully request your approval for this space so it can serve residents of the building and the Chesapeake Beach community." Commissioners voiced pragmatic concerns about noise, hours and parking for certain fitness uses and discussed limiting new permissions to mixed‑use buildings so single‑family neighborhoods are not affected.
Votes and next steps: The commission adopted the amended change by voice vote and will transmit the amendment package to town council for final action. Staff (Miss Franklin) said she will refine the language and return next month as needed; commissioners agreed to review the land‑use table further, and council review was the next procedural step.
What was not decided: The commission did not change RV‑2 comprehensively at this meeting, and separate items (for example, whether libraries or museums should be allowed in RV‑2) were discussed but not adopted because required affirmative votes were not obtained.
