Residents and conservation group urge commissioners to oppose ordinance 26‑05 over intersection safety

Laura Davis, a Churchill resident, told the Queen Anne's County commissioners that ordinance 26‑05 would set a new precedent for how the county makes planning decisions and urged them to put safety first. "Before we lower those standards, the burden should be on proving that doing so makes our roads equally safe or safer," she said, asking commissioners to vote no on the amendment and to work with the State Highway Administration on intersection improvements.

Jay Falstad of the Queen Anne's Conservation Association pressed a related point about process. Falstad said multiple recent text amendments appear to be drafted to benefit single landowners without evaluation of countywide impacts; he urged the board to reject the two amendments on the evening's agenda and recommended a top‑down review of such legislation rather than piecemeal, landowner‑driven changes. Chris Blanton of Churchill said he supports local business development but warned that allowing a new gas station closer to US‑301 could encourage drivers unfamiliar with the intersection and increase collisions.

The board had staff introduce amendment #1 to county ordinance 26‑05 (supplemental standards for gas stations) that would allow the board of appeals to grant a variance permitting an entrance/exit distance of no less than 75 feet from an intersection; staff characterized the draft as prepared by planning staff and said it would be conveyed to the planning commission for review. Commissioners did not vote on final adoption at the meeting; staff said the ordinance and any amendment would return with the planning commission's recommendation.

The hearing record shows consistent concern among speakers about traffic safety at the US‑301/MD‑405 intersection, questions about the adequacy of engineering evidence presented, and calls for a more comprehensive planning review before changing county standards.