Proposal to rezone eight southern Calvert County parcels to heavy industrial prompts questions about placement and parks

County planning staff presented a proposed change in the draft Calvert County zoning ordinance to reclassify eight parcels in southern Calvert County from Industrial-1 or Rural-Forest to Heavy Industrial (I-2) to encourage certain types of employment uses and broaden the tax base.

Tay Harris said the affected properties are near existing infrastructure and were identified by commissioners to increase the county’s tax base by attracting businesses that create relatively little traffic but higher-paying jobs. "The change would rezone these parcels as heavy industrial District, I 2," Harris said. Commissioners pressed staff on why the county would reclassify these particular parcels rather than try to attract users to Patuxent Business Park; staff and Economic Development staff replied that Patuxent Park is subject to state funding covenants that complicate reassignment and that the nominated parcels are county-owned or identified by the BOCC.

Commissioners voiced concern about concentrating heavy industrial uses in the southern county and specifically asked whether portion of the proposed heavy-industrial area would intersect the planned Cove Point Park; staff said ordinance language would be written to allow the park in the newly zoned area. The commission asked staff to proceed with the 60-day review required for master-plan and zoning changes and to provide additional details on allowed heavy-industrial uses in the ordinance draft.