Residents Cheer as Commissioners Reject Retail Development Near Shady Mile

It was standing room only this morning as concerned residents packed the St. Mary’s County Commissioners meeting room to show their objections to further retail development on Rt. 235 in California. At right is Commissioner Tommy Mattingly, who made the motion to reject the rezoning plan. Below is Commissioner Dan Raley, who seconded the motion before the whole board unanimously agreed. — The Bay Net photos by Sean Rice

California residents from the area near Shady Mile Drive let out cheers, whistles and applause as St. Mary’s County Commissioners said they don’t want the county to turn into “another Waldorf”, and voted unanimously to reject a zoning change that would have allowed further retail development on Rt. 235.

Residents have for months been voicing their objections to a plan approved in the Lexington Park Development District (LPDD) master plan that called for broadening the zoning along Rt. 235 in the area of Shady Mile Drive.

Residents packed the commissioners meeting room and hallway this morning to show their objection to the rezoning plan. Public comment was not allowed at the meeting, but the throng of silent residents had its effect on the board.

On Aug. 28, a similar huge crowd of residents were on hand cheering when the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission also voted to reject the zoning proposal in the LPDD plan.

Approved last year, the LPDD master plan called for changing the zoning on a section of land on the southeastern side of Rt. 235 from residential mixed use (RMX) to corridor mixed use (CMX).

The RMX zone is a business/residential zone that allows for a host of business developments, except large retail stores, gas stations and fast food eateries.

The developer of the property in question, P.F. Summers, said letters of intent are already signed with retail stores, such as Kohl’s, and warned that the alternative development plans for the site will be more intense that if the zoning had been changed to CMX.

Unless the issue is revisited by the Commissioners, the property will stay zoned RMX, and potential developments could include, banks, office space, townhouses, sit-down restaurants and a list of other non-retail business uses.

Developments in a RMX zone require a 50-foot visual buffer on the property lines and buildings can be no taller than 40 feet.

See the earlier article on when the residents swarmed the planning commission meeting Aug. 30, here.