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St. Mary’s County schedules February open houses as Saint Mary’s 2050 draft nears public release
Summary
County staff told the Planning Commission the first draft of the Saint Mary’s 2050 comprehensive plan is on track for release in February, triggering a 45-day public comment window and multiple open houses and outreach events across the county.
St. Mary’s County staff told the Planning Commission on Jan. 17 that the initial draft of the Saint Mary’s 2050 comprehensive plan is on track for public release in February, and that the release will begin a 45-day community engagement window.
Jessica Andritz, director of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, said the release will be followed by a series of open houses and targeted outreach to help residents review the draft and provide feedback. "We are looking at the final element of the Saint Mary's 2050 plan," she said, and staff expect to publish the draft and associated maps on the project website.
Staff outlined an initial slate of February events: an open house on Feb. 9 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lexington Park Library (with an evening briefing to the consultant and staff that night); a Feb. 10 briefing to the county commissioners and an afternoon Board of Appeals session at Leonardtown Library; a Feb. 10 evening open house at the Northern Senior Center in Charlotte Hall; and a Feb. 11 evening open house at the Loffler Senior Center in Great Mills. Two inclement-weather make-up dates were also set—Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 at Leonardtown and Lexington Park libraries, respectively.
Andritz described a mix of online and in-person outreach, including "grocery store/local market" pop-up events where staff will hand out cards with a QR code linking to the draft and comment tools. She said consultant responses to outstanding technical questions should arrive within a week of the meeting.
The county will publish the draft plan and event information on the comprehensive-plan project website and distribute a news release from the public information office. Staff asked Planning Commission members to send feedback and noted that changes raised in the work session will be incorporated into the consultant’s next draft.
Next steps: staff will forward annotated edits to the consultant, publish the draft and event schedule, and begin the 45-day public comment period when the plan is released.
