Planning Commission directs staff to start Huntington Town Center master-plan update

The Calvert County Planning Commission voted to direct staff to begin a master-plan update for the Huntington Town Center and to start public outreach in mid-September.

Planners said the update will align the town-center plan with the county comprehensive plan, address vacant storefronts, traffic and access issues, and reflect state and federal program changes. Planner Cat Lockwood told commissioners, “398 people participated in the survey, of which 93% lived in the Huntington zip code,” and summarized common concerns including traffic congestion and vacant storefronts. Presenters noted the town center contains roughly 81 parcels totaling about 304 acres and said watershed and ecosystem indicators (tree canopy ~64%, impervious surface ~14%) will be tracked in the update.

Commissioners discussed whether the town center designation should be retained or replaced with another zoning district; staff said rural commercial was not appropriate and recommended using the kickoff meeting and an online survey to confirm community preferences. A commissioner moved to initiate the update and set outreach timing; the motion carried without substantive amendment.

Next steps: staff will post corrected presentation materials cited during the meeting and, if the commission confirms the recommendation, conduct a public kickoff meeting and an online survey to collect input that will inform the draft master plan.