LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission on Sept. 29 approved a concept site plan for The Meadows, a proposed 162-unit townhouse community off Willows Road — one of the largest residential projects to come before the board this year — after a lengthy public hearing that drew strong opposition from nearby residents.
The 32.4-acre project, located within the Lexington Park Development District, is designed for low-density residential use and includes a mix of three- and four-bedroom townhomes ranging from roughly 1,700 to 2,200 square feet. Developers Turner Development and Map Properties described the project as workforce-oriented housing aimed at teachers, law enforcement officers, and other local professionals.
Project engineer Anthony Olson of COA Barrett said the team clustered construction on the northern portion of the site to preserve existing topography and protect wetlands and floodplains. “We’ve worked hard to keep development out of all environmentally sensitive areas and exceed the stormwater management standards,” Olson said.
Environmental engineer Denise Sullivan of Urban Green Environmental testified that her firm investigated reports of historic dumping on the property. She said limited contamination consistent with old construction debris was found and will be fully removed before any home construction. “The materials are not hazardous, but the remaining soils will be fully remediated to residential standards before any occupancy,” Sullivan said.
While county staff confirmed the project meets zoning, density and stormwater requirements, nearby residents and school officials urged caution. Many argued that the 162-unit plan is too dense for the rural corridor and that Willows Road already faces heavy congestion and safety hazards.
“This road is already dangerous — people drive 50 or 60 miles an hour past our school,” said Tammy Wilson, head of Bay Montessori School, located just north of the site. “We’ve already had staff members rear-ended turning in. Adding hundreds more cars will make that worse.”
Other residents raised concerns about runoff, traffic delays, and the property’s history as a former community dump site. “People used to fill the ravines with tires, cars, and everything else,” said Greg Kolarik, a longtime county resident.
Neighbor Jim Smith, who has lived on nearby Old Hermanville Road for nearly four decades, said the project would drastically alter the area’s character. “It’s a rural stretch, one house on a few acres. This will change that forever,” he said, also warning about repeated flooding from Pembroke Run. “The water’s rising faster every year. This will only add to it.”
Developers said they were aware of the site’s sensitivity and had voluntarily gone beyond county requirements for cleanup and forest conservation, doubling the required preservation area to roughly 12 acres.
Traffic engineer Jackie Plott said the project would add about 949 daily trips but maintain “A” and “B” service levels at key intersections. She noted the developer would still contribute about $23,000 toward a potential traffic light at Route 5 and Willows Road, a long-discussed safety improvement first proposed nearly two decades ago.
After more than two hours of testimony, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the concept plan with added conditions:
• Compliance with all state and county road improvements.
• Construction of a designated bus-stop pad along Willows Road.
• Extension of a barrier fence on the north property line to reduce trespassing and dumping.
• Completion and certification of environmental remediation before any occupancy permits are issued.
Commission Chair Howard Thompson praised the development team for its detailed cleanup plan and willingness to meet the added conditions. “This is a clean, compliant project that shows a high level of diligence,” he said before the final vote.
Construction is expected to begin after final engineering approvals, with a projected buildout of about five years.
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How will this impact the already over crowded schools in that area?
If the planning commission keeps approving more homes down here, they need to also think about building another high school because Great Mills High School is over crowded as it is. They are all about job growth and catering to people by providing more homes so that they move here while they let more and more kids continue to be crammed in the same school. Great Mills High School is also outdated and needs a lot of work. If they can’t build another High School, they should at least expand the school.
Traffic light at Willows Rd & Rt5?! Yeah!!!… another traffic light(end sarcasm)
How about a Round-about instead…keeps traffic moving will reducing severe accidents. Oh!…and it’s cheaper!
Traffic light at Willows Rd & Rt5?! Yeah!!!… another traffic light(end sarcasm)
How about a Round-about instead…keeps traffic moving will reducing severe accidents. Oh!…and it’s cheaper!
Just what we need: more housing for the financially comfortable people. NOT! How about making housing that lower income people can afford?
That’s way too many houses for an already overbuilt road.
Just what we need. More traffic in already congested areas. How about upgrading the infrastructure BEFORE adding new housing and businesses. We still only have one navigable rickety bridge connecting two counties that was never designed for the amount of traffic we have now. Ignorant.
Adding to an already out of control problem. That area is already congested enough. If they build tax payer funded “affordable” housing in Lusby, we will be putting our house up for sale asap and moving to a state that isn’t being run into the ground by its Governor.