Story Category: Worship »

The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission approved on Monday a concept site plan for a new church building for Callaway Baptist Church. The new 7,787-square-foot building will be constructed behind the existing church on Route 5.

The church also plans to construct a second building next to the new church building for an office and Sunday school. Once the second building is completed the existing church building will be demolished. That second building will also have to come before the planning commission for approval.

According to the church’s consulting engineer John Norris, the new buildings will align with the Callaway Market on one side and the Old Line Bank on the other side. The existing building sits close to the road.  Norris said a turn lane would be constructed in front of the property, once the old building is demolished, to be consistent with the adjacent properties on either side.

Planning Commission member Shelby Guazzo said she remembered other properties along that stretch of road providing rights-of-way for an eventual Route 5 widening. But David Berry, a planner with the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, said the State Highway Administration had not requested a right-of-way donation. Guazzo said that issue could be revisited when the church comes back for the second building.

The new church building was unanimously approved by the planning commission.