La Plata planning commission hears public concerns, keeps proposed APFO open for more comment

Planning staff and town leaders on Tuesday presented a draft Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) that would add Article 10 to the town zoning code and revise the town's school seat allocation rules, prompting a two‑hour discussion about water, sewer, roads and schools and a request from the commission for more public input.

The hearing opened at 6:09 p.m. and the commission heard a staff overview from Director of Planning Don Dooley, who described the two‑part approach: revisions to Chapter 173 (school seat allocationpolicy) and a proposed addition to Chapter 191 (zoning) to address minimum standards for water, sewage and roads. Dooley recommended continuing the APFO process to allow additional public comment and technical refinement. "Staff is recommending that this item be continued to February 3," he said.

Why it matters: the draft would require major subdivisions and site plans to demonstrate they will not cause the town to exceed capacity thresholds for water or wastewater, maintain a minimum level of service C on the town's roadways, and follow a formal school seat allocation process tied to feeder schools. If a project would push the wastewater treatment plant or water permit usage above 80% of permitted capacity, the ordinance requires mitigation or would prohibit approval without appropriate measures.

Speakers at the hearing included Danielle Conroe, chair of the Charles County chapter of the Maryland Builders Industry Association, who said the development community supports linking growth to infrastructure but asked for clearer transition and grandfathering provisions so projects already in process are not disrupted. "Growth should be absolutely tied to adequate infrastructure," Conroe said, adding that the December 23 release of materials left insufficient time for meaningful review.

Rick Barnas, a land‑use stakeholder who addressed the commission, echoed the timing concerns and warned of unintended consequences if vesting and allocation rules are misaligned; he urged the commission to keep the record open so the development community can provide technical input.

Commissioners spent much of the discussion probing technical details and implementation limits. On roads, members asked how the town can apply a level‑of‑service standard to intersections maintained by the county or state; Dooley said the town can require studies and, when mitigation on non‑town roads is necessary, use the traffic analysis to press county or state agencies and to justify denial if mitigation cannot be achieved. On infrastructure, commissioners sought durable, auditable reporting on water draw and allocations so prospective applicants can self‑assess and avoid surprises.

Town Manager Chuck Stevens told the commission the APFO is a key step toward negotiating supplemental water with Charles County: "The solution to the town's water problem is through Charles County through a supplemental water agreement," he said, adding that the APFO demonstrates the town's capacity to plan and manage growth.

On school seats, staff said the draft aligns with Charles County Public Schools data and procedures, limits town allocations to the specific feeder schools serving La Plata, and proposes an upper cap tied to the town's share of county population (staff cited 6%). Staff offered to invite county school officials to a future session to walk the commission through the school data and allocation math.

Outcome and next steps: after receiving public comment and staff responses, the commission voted to keep the public hearing record open and continue APFO discussion at the February 3 Planning Commission meeting so staff can refine language and more stakeholders can comment. Dooley said staff will update the draft and return with an overview of council comments and additional technical clarifications.

The commission did not adopt any part of the draft ordinance at the meeting; the public record remains open through the continued process.