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Residents urge commissioners to protect Calvert's watersheds and rural character
Summary
More than a dozen residents and local conservation groups urged the BOCC to keep thousands of acres in Rural Community District, strengthen stormwater standards, and reject upzoning that would increase impervious surfaces and strain roads and water supplies.
Dozens of Calvert County residents and conservation groups addressed the board during the public hearing, stressing watershed protection and opposing broad upzoning from Rural Community District (RCD) to Residential.
Speakers including members of the Friends of Hunting Creek, American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT), Friends of Mill Creek and individual residents described local watersheds' vulnerabilities and urged the board to retain the Planning Commission's recommendation to keep specified parcels zoned RCD. "Upzoning these areas to residential district would significantly increase the impervious surfaces draining into these creeks," said Adam Sampson of ACLT, noting the sensitivity of Parkers Creek and Hunting Creek watersheds.
Speakers repeatedly flagged stormwater risks: one caller reported the Mill Creek watershed is already at about 20% impervious cover, exceeding the 15% tipping point where runoff begins to degrade stream health. Local watershed advocates asked the county to pair town-center master plans with watershed plans that include monitoring and maintenance commitments.
Farmers and longtime residents raised separate but related concerns about traffic, narrow county roads and loss of farmland. "We're not against development," Jerry Pitcher said; "we are against unsmart planned development." Several speakers asked the BOCC to preserve rural character to avoid overloading roads such as German Chapel and Stokley Road and to protect drinking-water supplies.
The BOCC and staff repeatedly framed the ordinance changes as lowering density and said the update aims to reduce unintended consequences from ad hoc text amendments. Staff noted the ordinance will change how density is calculated and rework permitting pathways; commissioners said the new rules will require public review for major projects.
What happens next: The BOCC adopted the ordinance at the hearing with specific protections and caps; conservation and neighborhood groups said they will continue to watch implementation and plan reviews closely.
