Planning staff seek public comment on Prince Frederick town‑center chapters; commissioners authorize public hearing

Planning & Zoning staff presented draft chapters 1 and 2 of the town‑center master plan for comment and asked the board to authorize a public hearing. Tay Harris, the long‑range planner, described changes from earlier drafts, including reduced residential density in some subdistricts (a decrease from earlier 14 units per acre to as low as 4 units per acre in certain areas), revised subdistrict boundaries and an expanded Old Town District to support potential Main Street designation efforts.

Staff highlighted environmental and heritage considerations — the town center sits within three sub‑watersheds with tree canopy at about 49% inside the town center and a relatively healthy ecosystem — and identified transportation constraints. Planning noted failing intersections at MD‑24 and Stokely Road, MD‑24/Dares Beach/Commerce Lane, and Church/Main Street as of July 2025. Jared Cosgrove, the county’s public‑works director, told the board that "there's none currently planned for the county to perform a traffic study for the town center of Prince Frederick," and explained that developers typically provide traffic studies for specific new projects.

Commissioners debated how pipeline projects approved under older APFO and zoning standards interact with the updated master plan and whether additional county‑level traffic analysis is needed. Planning asked permission to advertise a public hearing on the draft chapters; the board authorized staff to advertise the hearing and to include revisions discussed at the meeting.