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La Plata advances zoning changes to tie development to water, sewer and school capacity
Summary
Town staff and the planning commission proposed code amendments to require developers to demonstrate adequate water, sewer and school capacity before approvals. Council and residents pressed for strict enforcement of an 80% wastewater trigger and limits on exemptions.
The La Plata Town Council on April 28 moved forward with proposed zoning and subdivision amendments that would require new development to show adequate infrastructure capacity — including water, sewer and school seats — before approvals are granted.
The changes, presented by Town Manager Chuck Stevens and planning staff, replace subjective allowances with formula‑based standards aligned with Charles County and create a formal process for large projects (100+ units) to enter development agreements. The draft also replaces the town’s current minimum school‑seat guarantee with a capacity‑based allocation that uses publicly available Charles County Board of Education data.
“Together these chapters require that new development demonstrate adequate public infrastructure capacity, including water service, sewer service, and school capacity before development approvals are granted,” Stevens said as he summarized the…
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