The St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners met Tuesday, August 31 and adopted the new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance in a 4-to-1 vote. Commissioner Larry Jarboe brought forth two issues: the proposed slaughter house in Mechanicsville and a request to deny adult entertainment businesses in development districts, namely Lexington Park. He offered up a petition with over 300 signatures, asking for a 1,000-foot buffer around the slaughterhouse site.
While Commissioner Dan Raley said, “I understand the concern about the slaughterhouse and feel we owe it to everyone concerned to do it right,” he opted to bring it back as a text amendment rather than delay the adoption of the Zoning Ordinance. Raley also raised concerns about the new RLT zone and the mandatory open space requirements in the growth areas, arguing it could adversely impact another top County issue: affordable workforce housing.
Both issues, Commissioner President Jack Russell suggested, “need to be well-vetted.” He referred to the complex Ordinance as a “living document” and supported the idea of bringing specific issues back for consideration and public hearings at a later date.
Director of Land Use and Growth Management, Derick Berlage, highlighted the BOCC’s “truly innovative steps,” which extended farming uses, adopted new design standards for developments in the RPD and spurred a number of improvements in growth centers. All of this, he said, was done while pusuing the County’s desire to preserve its rural character.
Berlage thanked the community for its input, stating the hundreds of letters and public input helped in the decision-making process. The new Zoning Ordinance will be effective Sept. 14.
The board approved the use of Room 14 of the Potomac Building in Leonardtown as the Early Voting Center, which begins Sept. 3, and authorized the contract award for the ARRA-funded Mechanicsville Rd. Culvert Replacement Project to the lowest bidder.
A budget amendment reducing FY2010 appropriation authority was approved as a result of the many cuts experienced in the past year. County Chief Financial Officer Elaine Kramer explained the $4 million reduction is the amount the County had hoped would be used for grant funding that simply didn’t come through.
The commissioners held a public hearing on the Board of Education’s proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Water and Sewerage Plan, which will connect the systems of Chopticon High School and Margaret Brent Middle School. LUGM’s Dave Chapman explained how the connection would benefit both schools, giving the upgrade needed by the middle school and making Chopticon’s new state-of-the-art system run more efficiently.
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