Planning commission endorses consolidated 'master plan of town centers' approach

The Calvert County Planning Commission voted Feb. 27 to endorse staff’s proposed consolidated structure for updating town‑center master plans. Tay Harris, the county’s long‑range planner, told commissioners the single document would include a countywide Chapter 1 with background, visions and public‑participation processes and separate chapters for each town center’s specific recommendations.

Harris said the proposal would reduce redundancy across individual updates and speed future work. "Rather than preparing individual updates for each town center master plan, the department recommends consolidating them into a single document, the master plan of town centers, eliminating redundancy across the individual updates," Harris said. The commission heard that staff plans to present draft Chapter 1 and the Prince Frederick chapter in March, seek guidance in April on whether to hold a public hearing in May, and then proceed to a Board of County Commissioners public hearing in June if directed.

Commissioners asked about prioritization, and Harris recommended addressing the oldest master plans first—Owings, Huntingtown, Lusby, Solomons and St. Leonard—because some plans have not been updated in around 40 years. A motion to adopt staff’s proposed format and process carried on a voice vote. The next procedural step noted by staff is a possible public hearing on the Prince Frederick chapter in May, with Chapter 1 incorporated into that hearing.