Saint Mary's 2050: planners report public engagement and plan timing; commissioners press on ferry, housing language

County planning staff gave an update April 21 on the Saint Mary's 2050 comprehensive plan and the close of community engagement window three. Jessica Andritz, director of Land Use & Growth Management, and project lead Leanne King summarized outreach and next steps.

King said the most recent public engagement included 170 online respondents and about 165 paper surveys for a total of 335, with earlier rounds drawing roughly 300 and 1,300 respondents respectively. Staff reported 11 open houses, additional intercept outreach, and broad distribution through libraries and senior centers. The project team used a 70% support threshold for plan goals; most goal areas met that threshold, though several individual goals drew more mixed responses and will receive language clarifications.

Commissioners raised several substantive concerns during Q&A. Commissioner Eric Coleman asked whether the plan's policies and actions were reflected in the survey or only high-level goals; staff said respondents could access policy-level material but the public survey focused on the 60 high-level goals. Commissioners debated draft language on manufactured housing: staff said the Maryland Land Use Article requires jurisdictions to allow certain manufactured housing where single-family detached homes can be sited, and that local code amendments already include a tiny homes appendix.

Commissioners also questioned a passenger ferry concept in the draft plan and expressed skepticism about enshrining a seasonal tourism ferry in the policy document; planning staff said they would revisit the language in response to the planning commission's direction. Several commissioners pressed staff about timing: staff estimated about 30 days to produce a red-line draft for the planning commission, 60 days for state review after that, and a public hearing timeline that could extend the process into late summer or early fall.

Staff said they will prepare a red-line draft reflecting planning commission feedback, post revisions on the project website, and return to the planning commission and this board as required by the Maryland Department of Planning review schedule.