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Planning commission recommends Howling Point Park master plan update to BOCC
Summary
After a staff presentation and public input, the planning commission closed the record on the Howling Point Park master plan update and voted to find it consistent with the Calvert County comprehensive plan and recommend adoption by the Board of County Commissioners.
The Calvert County Planning Commission on May 21 heard a staff presentation on the Howling Point Park master plan update and voted to recommend adoption by the Board of County Commissioners.
Stephanie Sterling, park planner with Parks and Recreation, said the 81‑acre site at 4755 Halloween Pointe Road in Prince Frederick includes athletic fields, trails, courts and a pavilion and that the county completed a draft update in September 2024 after contracting with Murphy and Dittenhofer and soliciting public feedback. "We got over 2,000 responses," Sterling said, noting the draft recommends paved walking paths, trail connections and several field upgrades.
Agency reviewers raised specific issues, Sterling said: the Maryland Department of Natural Resources praised recreational opportunities; the Maryland Department of Planning urged improved bicycle and pedestrian access; and the Maryland Historical Trust flagged historic barns and possible archaeological resources to be described and treated in the update. Sterling told commissioners she would amend the draft to include treatment language and signage for the barns.
Commissioners and attendees questioned field configurations and the effect of pitching mounds on multipurpose use, and discussed how proposed synthetic‑turf conversions would affect playability and maintenance. Resident concerns about ingress and egress at MD‑231 led Parks Director Bob Brandon to say staff is seeking rapid options with State Highway and expects to return with possible signage and physical controls.
With no speakers signed up for the item, a commissioner moved that the planning commission close the public record, find the draft plan consistent with the Calvert County comprehensive plan and recommend adoption by the Board of County Commissioners; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The planning commission’s action sends the revised draft, including the added historic‑resource text, on to the BOCC for its decision.
