St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners conducted a portion of their weekly meeting Tuesday at the Northern Senior Center in Charlotte Hall, for the purpose of discussing public use of county property in the area.
The county owns 200-plus acres in the Charlotte Hall area, and in July the Board directed the recreation department to look into possible uses for the 35 acres surrounding the Northern Senior Center, including senior housing and recreational facilities.
Phil Rollins, county recreation director, presented the Board with an analysis of the segmented portions of county land in the area and which are best suitable for the suggested uses.
The commissioners voted to approve Rollins’ request to begin a master plan for developing the 35-acres around the Senior Center, to include senior housing, a “multi-generational” community building and pool.
Rollins said the recreation department staff determined the site most suitable for senior housing because of the flat topography and access to public water. Other areas proved too small or inhibited by a high-voltage power crossing.
In the board’s motion, the county Housing Authority will take the lead in evaluating the size and scope of building senior housing on the site. Also, a 15-acre forest preservation tract within the 35 acres will have to be transferred to another county-owned area.
Included in the recreation department’s suggestion, soccer/lacrosse/baseball fields should be considered for either the 80-acre site near the current 5th District park or the 80-acre site near the trash convenience center.
Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) was apprehensive about a suggestion to construct public sewer for the new housing rather than individual septic systems. He said that kind of talk gets locals worried that public sewer will open the area up to become “Waldorf South.”
Rollins said planners will continue discussions with the Charlotte Hall Veteran’s Home to consider connecting the proposed new system into the closed sewer system that serves the home.