PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — The Department of Planning and Zoning presented the results of the town center surveys at the Sept. 9 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting.
The surveys were sent out over the summer as part of the master plan updates for Huntingtown, Owings and St. Leonard. The survey asked respondents questions about their living situations, how long they’d lived in the area, and to name the main draws, biggest challenges and biggest changes in the town centers.
Huntingtown Survey
A total of 389 people participated in the Huntingtown Town Center survey. About 39.15% of participants said they wanted Huntingtown to maintain its town center designation, and 60.65% said they’d rather see it as a rural commercial zoning district.
Long-range planner Tay Harris said the main draws of the town center were the shopping and dining options and the sense of community they provide. Biggest changes and challenges included traffic and congestion issues, and opposition to growth.
As in similar development initiatives, residents of Huntingtown were interested in preserving the area’s rural character and were divided on how much more development they wanted in the region. Residents wanted to see slow growth that focused on local restaurants and mom-and-pop stores, and rejected more chain stores and large housing developments.
Owings Survey
There were 214 participants in the Owings Town Center survey. About 38.99% said they wanted the area to remain a town center, and 61.01% said they would rather see it designated a rural commercial district.
Participants said they liked the convenience of living in Owings and the quiet community. They also said that while there were not many amenities in Owings, most residents were happy to rely on the nearby town centers in Dunkirk and Prince Frederick rather than bring more development to the area. They did, however, say they wanted more walkability and “thoughtful amenities.”
Other concerns were rising home prices and the increase of vacant buildings in the town center.
St. Leonard Survey
The St. Leonard survey had 488 participants. About 60.82% said they’d like St. Leonard to stay a town center, while 39.18% said they wanted it to be a rural commercial district.
St. Leonard residents loved their local businesses, as well as access to amenities and educational and employment options. They did, however, cite limited grocery store and restaurant options and high business turnover as issues worth addressing. They hoped to see more viable local businesses, better traffic control, added walkability and more community events.
Residents were also focused on green spaces and protecting farms and natural resources, as well as slowing development and population growth.
Now that these surveys are complete, Planning and Zoning will work on next steps. The county will have to determine if these areas should remain town centers or be redesignated.
Another option, vocally supported by Commissioner Catherine Grasso, was to distinguish between major and minor town centers.
Commissioner Mike Hart echoed the idea but said he was concerned about getting the language exactly right so people concerned about rural character knew they were working on their behalf, and to stave off massive development that might happen years down the line.
“This is step 1A,” said Planning and Zoning Director Jason Brinkley. He said they weren’t aiming to create “a bunch of nonconforming uses” but that they wanted to make the right changes to allow for the type of community the people want, while protecting the local businesses people enjoyed.
As Brinkley said, this is just the beginning of the planning process. Following this presentation, Planning and Zoning will present the survey results to the Planning Commission on Sept. 17. They will then hold public informational meetings on the following dates:
- Oct. 6: St. Leonard, 6 p.m. at Crossroad Christian Church
- Oct. 14: Huntingtown, 6 p.m. at the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department
- Oct. 20: Owings, 6 p.m. at Grace Brethren Church
The meetings will also be broadcast live on Calvert’s YouTube channel.
“It’s a long way to go, nothing is set in stone, everything’s on the table,” Commissioner Earl Hance said at the end of the meeting. “It’s not a done deal. It’s all about trying to figure out what people want and a path forward.”
Interested Calvert County residents can find the complete survey results on the Planning and Zoning website.
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why bother with surveys when the powers that be just go ahead and do what they want anyway. example: Lusby apartment complex