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Planning commissioners review sweeping zoning‑ordinance draft, debate density, steep slopes and data‑center rules
Summary
Planning staff presented an updated zoning‑ordinance draft that revises density calculations, adds data centers as special‑exception uses in heavy‑industrial districts and tightens environmental buffers; commissioners asked staff for analysis on the effect of counting steep slopes in net acreage and signaled the need for outside subject‑matter expertise on data centers.
Planning and Zoning staff presented a revised draft of the Calvert County zoning ordinance and highlighted several substantive changes. Zoning planner Will Hager said, “The definition of density has been revised and now states that density is the number of dwelling units permitted per the net acreage of a parcel as opposed to the gross acreage of a parcel,” and staff emphasized the draft strengthens protective buffers for wetlands, streams and steep slopes.
Commissioners focused discussion on whether steep slopes should be deducted from the county’s net‑acreage calculation. One commissioner proposed keeping the current definition; another asked staff to analyze the potential parcel‑level and countywide effects if steep slopes were deducted. Legal counsel John Mattingly cautioned that any locally more‑restrictive rule is subject to state regulatory guidance and recommended staff check COMAR and other state rules.
The draft also makes multiple use‑table changes: it removes some industrial uses from the Heavy Industrial district, adds data centers as a special‑exception use (with a minimum 200‑foot setback from property lines and 500 feet from residential parcels in most cases), increases permitted private pier slips in some areas and alters residential density caps in town centers. Staff noted the transfer of TDR allocation from gross to net acreage and reductions in some transfer‑zone densities.
Several commissioners raised operational questions, including how taller height limits in industrial zones (up to 75 feet) would affect nearby properties and how a new data‑center policy could affect water and power demands. Commissioner discussion produced a request that staff bring back a focused analysis of the steep‑slope/net‑acreage question and to coordinate subject‑matter experts on data‑center impacts, utilities and environmental resources before the public‑hearing phase.
What happens next: staff released a revised draft to the public on Aug. 30 and closed the public comment period Sept. 27; commissioners directed staff to prepare further impact analysis and subject‑matter briefings ahead of forthcoming public hearings and Board of County Commissioners review.
