Staff briefs planning commission on Mariner Farm Village rezoning and proffer changes

At a planning commission work session, county staff briefed commissioners on the Mariner Farm Village Development rezoning and companion conditional‑use permit and proffer amendment. Lee Hammond, deputy county administrator for community and economic development, told the commission the applicant (R2JS LLC) is proposing "140 townhouse units on individual lots" that would be sold as fee‑simple units rather than rented, and that the parcel sits adjacent to the Maryland state line near Captain's Cove.

Hammond said the revised plan retains the same number of units but adjusts the layout and moves some elements: "The Central Park is still featured, except there's no structures in the middle of the park. That's been moved up front," he said. The proposal also shifts a proffered EMS station location from Fleming Road to Stateline Road and carries several stormwater BMPs and a conceptual trail network. Staff emphasized this meeting was a briefing only: "for work sessions, we do not have a public comment period," Hammond said, and no public hearings were authorized tonight.

Commissioners and staff discussed multiple waiver requests the applicant submitted, including reductions in lot area, frontage/lot width and front/side/rear setbacks, and an access‑point waiver because Captain's Corridor is a private right‑of‑way. Staff noted many of the original proffers have been tightened or removed where obligations were already satisfied; one example is a previously completed $10,000 payment that staff confirmed had been made. The planning commission did not take a final vote on the rezoning or CUP at the work session; next steps include possible requests for more detailed site dimensions, elevations, and authorization of public hearings.