LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Planning Commission approved the concept site plan for the Pembrooke 140-unit townhouse development at its Feb. 10, 2025, meeting, with conditions.
In reviewing Concept Site Plan #CSP24-0304, the commission accepted the staff report and determined that the objectives outlined in Section 60.6 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance had been met. A motion to approve the plan with conditions was made by Joseph St. Clair and seconded by Judith Fillius. The final resolution carried unanimously, with J. Howard Thompson, Patricia Robrecht, Joseph St. Clair, Gerald J. Cousineau, Joseph L. VanKirk, Judith Fillius, and Conor Loughran voting in favor.
“One of the things the comprehensive land use plan says is that we want to encourage growth, of course, within defined growth areas. And that’s what this is in the Lexington Park growth area. But also, we want to encourage infill development, development of undeveloped parcels that are surrounded by developed parcels. And of course, this is one of those,” said Steve Scott, land use counsel on behalf of the Pembrooke development.
Approval Conditions
The approval is contingent on several conditions:
- State and county road improvements must be completed before issuing a Certificate of Occupancy.
- The developer must obtain a variance from the Board of Appeals for development within the stream buffer per CZO §71.4.
- A permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment is required for any wetland impact.
Project Overview
The proposed development, submitted by PEMBROOKE, LLC and represented by Soltesz/Gregory Hosendorf, is designed to provide additional housing options in the area. The project includes 140 attached dwelling units with widths ranging from 20 to 22 feet and a maximum height of 40 feet.
The concept site plan, initially submitted on July 26, 2024, underwent review by multiple agencies, including the Maryland State Highway Administration, St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission, and the Department of Environmental Health.
Traffic Impact
The development is expected to generate approximately 820 vehicle trips per day. According to the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) conducted as part of the approval process, all study intersections are projected to maintain a Level of Service (LOS) “A” with the proposed development. The 95th percentile queuing analyses indicate that adequate storage is available for all movements with dedicated storage space.
The site access points along MD 235 and MD 4 were found to operate acceptably under county and state standards.
In a Jan. 12, 2024, email, Jesse J. Harper, Engineer III at the Department of Public Works & Transportation, confirmed that the study intersections—Willows Road @ Willows Drive, Willows Road @ Meadow Creek Drive, Willows Road @ Colby Drive, and Meadow Creek Drive @ Green Meadow Lane/Rowan Knight Drive—were acceptable for traffic analysis.
School Capacity
The anticipated student yield from the development is within available school capacity.
Fire Prevention and Safety
The development will include a central public water supply and three fire hydrants along internal roads to meet county safety standards.
Design and Community Impact
The Pembrooke development follows Chapter 62 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance to ensure aesthetic harmony and community integration. The townhouses will feature Southern Maryland Tidewater architectural elements, such as gabled roofs and muted color tones. The project will also include sidewalks and communal open spaces to enhance pedestrian connectivity.
The project will now proceed toward final site plan approvals and permit acquisitions before construction begins.
See the presentation on Board Docs here.
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Thank you for all this affordable housing, we need it bad my people!
Because we need more cookie cutter townhomes jammed into small areas that only wealthy PAX River engineers and program managers can afford that have no real investment in this community while the commissioners continue to jack up the property taxes and not reduce spending.
Condition #1 Every home requires both parents
Condition #2 Parents are required to discipline their children when they misbehave
Keep St. Marys Great
For everyone worried about speeding vehicles, especially at schools simple install traffic cameras. Trust me, they work. And they help the city with tax contributions. Suffolk, Virginia collected over $5,000,000 in one year alone. We have them at our schools in Calvert County.