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Calvert BOCC adopts rewritten zoning ordinance; community benefit agreements renamed and narrowed
Summary
The Board repealed and readopted the county zoning ordinance with amendments that rename "Community Benefit Agreements" to "Community Enhancement Districts," allow mixed-use developments under a 4-du/acre cap, restrict certain institutional uses, clarify daycare and recycling processing rules, and revise critical-area language.
The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners voted to repeal and readopt the county zoning ordinance, adopting multiple substantive changes intended to implement the county's updated comprehensive plan and limit future density.
The motion, moved by a commissioner and carried by voice vote, renames "Community Benefit Agreements" (CBAs) as "Community Enhancement Districts" (CEDs) and sets new limits on what those overlay agreements may authorize. The board added mixed-use development as an approved use in CEDs but capped residential density for mixed-use developments at four dwelling units per acre. "We're lowering density," one commissioner said during debate; staff confirmed the draft reduces town-center density limits and overall density potential compared with current regulations.
Commissioners also agreed to remove "institutional" from authorized uses for CEDs and add institutional uses to a prohibited list; they clarified that commercial recycling facilities may include outdoor processing provided odors, dust, noise and vibrations at the property line meet applicable regulations. The board additionally voted to allow daycare centers as a permitted use with conditions in the I-1 (Light Industrial Mixed Use) district, addressing an omission staff identified in the draft.
Planning staff had presented the ordinance update as the culmination of a nearly two-year process that began after the county updated its comprehensive plan. Planner Will Hager told the board that some parcels inside a town-center perimeter could see density potential fall from "1 lot per acre" to "1 lot per 5 acres," a change he described as an "80% reduction" in that specific comparison.
The ordinance readoption followed extended public comment and multiple amendments on the floor. Commissioners debated whether allowing commercial or mixed uses inside CEDs would create ambiguity. One commissioner said the caps and procedural requirements add an extra public-review layer, while others said CEDs are a tool to negotiate public benefits on large projects such as data centers.
The ordinance also implements other text amendments adopted that evening (see "Votes at a glance"), including updates to town-center density charts and transferable development rights (TDR) requirements.
What happens next: The ordinance takes effect as provided by county rules; affected sections include article references updated during the session and a revised critical-area section to meet Critical Area Commission requirements. The BOCC said community input and additional review shaped the final language.
