Artist’s rendering of the proposed Hollywood Commercial center
Leonardtown, MD — The St. Mary’s County Board of Appeals June 23 concluded a second night of hearings on the proposed Hollywood Commercial Center without making a decision. The board heard testimony from the general public and then grilled the applicant with a barrage of questions during the more than three-hour meeting. The hearing was continued to a special board meeting July 21.
The appeals board was hearing the appeal of the planning commission denial of a 14-acre shopping center at the intersection of Three Notch Road (Route 235) and Sotterley Road. The center would include a relocated CVS and Burch Mart. A separate eight acres to the north of the property was not included in the hearing and reportedly will have a relocated Winegardner Chevrolet dealership.
An additional eight people testified at the public hearing part of the proceedings, including Planning Commission Vice Chairman Shelby Guazzo, who gave a detailed presentation on the concerns that she and the other members of the planning commission had, especially traffic.
Guazzo was particularly critical of the property owner Dean Partnership LLC and the developer Hollywood Partners Three Notch LLC for not including the eight acre-parcel in their concept plan. “If they fessed up it might make a better development project,” she said.
The applicant’s attorney Chris Longmore has argued that parcel is not relevant to the proposal because it is being acquired by another business entity which will be presenting their own plans to the planning commission. Longmore said that plan would sink or swim on its own weight and it would have to prove it meets all the requirements including the adequate public facilities for traffic.
The main concern of the speakers and the main thrust of the questioning by the appeals board members was over the 600-foot stretch of Sotterley Road between Route 235 and Old Three Notch Road. That section will be widened from two lanes to five lanes and would have one of the proposed center’s three entrances.
Another entrance would be on Old Three Notch Road and there was also concern from several speakers about increased traffic on that narrow farm road.
Jerry Thompson, who owns a farm on Old Three Notch Road, told the appeals board that he was being treated unfairly because the center forced some future road widening. “I don’t like losing my property when it is not my fault,” he explained.
At the first hearing June 9, Longmore said the planning commission erred in their 5-2 vote to deny their application because they took into their deliberations issues that should not have been considered at the concept plan review stage but instead were more properly reviewed at the final site plan stage, which is handled administratively by the county planning director.
Appeals Board Chairman George Alan Hayden however noted that the planning commission had broad authority to take into consideration the public health and safety of a proposal, a point that was affirmed by County Attorney George Sparling.
Many of the speakers at the June 9 and 23 hearings said they didn’t oppose a shopping center and mentioned its eventuality. But Mike Thompson insisted it should be designed better, more in keeping with a Hollywood Town center concept, with sidewalks and residences, perhaps on the second floor of businesses.
Hayden honed in on the lack of required sight distance for traffic coming towards the intersection from Sotterley which was not being addressed by the applicant. “You are missing a piece,” he said.
An engineer for the applicant said they had made several suggestions to the state, including a four way stop or a roundabout at the Old Three Notch/Sotterley Road intersection which was described by one speaker as a “lazy S.”
Longmore has also pointed out his clients don’t own any property at that intersection.
The appeals board, in addition to seeking additional information also asked the engineers to show then at the next meeting the video simulation of what traffic would look like at the Route 235/Sotterley Road intersection after the development is complete. The planning commission members looked at that simulation and expressed skepticism at what they saw.
Guazzo noted in her testimony that the appeals board hearing an appeal of a denial by the planners was highly unusual. She said it was only the second time it happened in her memory. Appeals normally go directly to the circuit court,
The July 23 continuation of the hearing will start at 7 p.m. to accommodate an earlier meeting that night in the same commissioners’’ hearing room.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com