Calvert appeals board tables Wawa special-exception request, asks for traffic study

The Calvert County Board of Appeals voted July 2 to table a special-exception and setback-variance request for a proposed Wawa convenience store and fueling canopy in Solomons, saying the board needs traffic analysis before it can safely conclude the project "will not create congestion." The case (BOA2026‑007) was tabled pending presentation of a traffic study; the applicant may reschedule once the analysis is available.

Applicant counsel Mark Davis and project engineer Anthony Olexon told the board the application is at the concept-review stage and that the traffic study and detailed site-plan review take place later in the county review process. "The traffic study will be required at the site-plan approval before the Planning Commission," Davis said, noting Department of Public Works and State Highway review are part of that step.

Several board members, led by Mr. Clark, said they were reluctant to find that a special exception "will not create congestion" without the traffic evidence. Clark asked whether a conditional approval that depended on later planning approvals would leave the board vulnerable to appeals. Counsel and staff explained the board can frame conditions so the special exception only becomes effective after the required site-plan and traffic approvals, but some members said that still leaves the board deciding without the facts.

Nearby property owners and neighbors told the board they were worried about traffic and town character. Steve Obert, an attorney appearing for neighboring LPJ LLC, urged the board not to rely on future conditions to satisfy the congestion criterion, saying there was "no credible evidence before this board on the issue of traffic" in the current record. Local business owner Johnny Gott said Wawa-type sites draw heavy daily traffic and could materially change Solomons Island’s downtown circulation and feel.

After debate, the board reopened the record briefly, then tabled the case. The motion to table requires the applicant to present a traffic study (the board left timing flexible; the applicant said preparing a scoping form and initial counts is aggressive but possible within the 90‑day window). If the applicant later fails to get required site-plan or traffic approvals, staff said the special exception would remain ineffective.

The board’s action leaves substantive site-plan review, traffic modeling and any mitigation (including potential required improvements to routes controlled by the state) to the technical review process. The applicant said redevelopment would reduce existing impervious coverage and that engineering work will address stormwater and access during the site-plan stage.

The board closed and reopened the record during the hearing and carried motions related to procedural options before tabling BOA2026‑007; timing for return to the board will depend on when the applicant provides the requested traffic information.