St. Mary's planning commission approves Jacobs Run concept plan with conditions requiring Goldfinch extension

The Saint Mary's County Planning Commission on June 8 approved the concept site plan for Jacobs Run (CSP25-0266), a mixed residential project that would include 206 townhouses and 225 single-family homes, but attached conditions intended to address neighborhood traffic, safety and buffer concerns.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the plan after the applicant agreed to build the Goldfinch Drive spine as part of phase 1 and to limit new certificate-of-occupancy releases until that extension to FDR Boulevard is operational. Applicant counsel Chris Longmore told the commission his client would bond the full road cost and "will pay for half of the cost" if the county agrees to share roundabout construction costs, an offer the board folded into contingency language in the motion.

Why it matters: neighbors and commissioners said safety was their primary concern. Residents urged that heavy construction and new traffic not be routed through smaller neighborhood streets; several speakers asked that the FDR connection be a requirement for occupancy rather than an unfunded promise. The commission's conditions address that directly: the vote limits initial occupancies and requires road work or equivalent county action before broader occupation proceeds.

What the commission required and what the applicant offered - Road phasing and occupancy limit: the commission's conditions restrict the issuance of use-and-occupancy permits beyond an initial 37 units until Goldfinch Drive is extended and approved for use to FDR Boulevard. That extension must be operational before later occupancies proceed. - On-site road work and waivers: the applicant must pursue a DPW waiver for leaving existing Goldfinch/Oriole roadway sections as-is (avoiding the previously proposed taking of front-yard right-of-way) and construct the proffered improvements (right-in/right-out, left-turn lane or equivalent) unless Condition G (below) abates them. - Roundabout cost-share contingency: if the county commissioners approve and acquire necessary property for a roundabout at Goldfinch and FDR within 18 months, the applicant will contribute 50% of construction costs; if not, the applicant must proceed with the right-in/left-in design that was presented to the commission. - Neighborhood protections: the conditions require bonding for road construction (the applicant said it will bond at 110%), preservation or replanting of buffers adjacent to existing forest conservation easements (a minimum 30-foot buffer was described), relocation of Oriole Drive mailboxes with the U.S. Postmaster’s permission at the applicant's expense if necessary, and inclusion of a crosswalk between Goldfinch and Oriole in the public-works agreement for phase 1.

Traffic evidence and disagreements Traffic consultant Mike Lenhart told the commission the left-turn design into the site would operate well, saying, "Our traffic study shows that the queuing, the maximum queue would be 1 to 2 vehicles," and that the proposed left-turn would produce minimal delay compared with a roundabout. The applicant and its engineers said a roundabout had been considered but that property needs and cost made a roundabout difficult for the developer to deliver without county participation.

Neighbors pushed back. John Gadske, a Victoria's Grant resident, said the Goldfinch-to-FDR connection "should be a requirement" before broad occupancy and asked for a planted perimeter buffer to maintain privacy. Several residents warned that temporary construction traffic through existing small roads (Oriole/Goldfinch/Buck Hewitt) would pose safety risks for children and bus stops unless staging and ultimate routing were controlled.

Next steps The approval at the concept site plan stage allows the applicant to proceed to more detailed preliminary subdivision plans. Those future hearings will return to the commission for APF (adequate public facilities) findings and agency reviews before final subdivision approvals and building permits. The county's decision whether to pursue and fund a roundabout (and the timing of that decision) remains in the hands of the commissioners; the applicant’s 50% contribution is conditional on county action within the 18-month window spelled out in the commission’s motion.

Action taken The commission approved the concept site plan CSP25-0266 (Jacobs Run) with conditions a–j as presented by counsel; roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous "aye."