Master Plan of Town Centers and Zoning Ordinance Updates

The Planning Commission has endorsed a new approach to streamline the Town Center Master Plan Updates. This approach consolidates individual updates for each Town Center Master Plan into a single document, The Master Plan of Town Centers. This new document will include a Town Centers Chapter that consolidates background information, eliminating redundancy across individual updates. Subsequent chapters will be dedicated to the individual Town Centers, detailing each Town Center’s specific updates. The three-phased process will remain in place:

Phase I: Identify Issues

• Planning & Zoning conducts public surveys, informational meetings and workshops.
• Planning & Zoning conducts Planning Commission briefings.

 Phase II: Plan Preparation

• The Planning Commission directs Planning & Zoning to develop the draft plan.
• Planning & Zoning conducts information meetings on the plan development.
• Planning & Zoning conducts Planning Commission briefings.

 Phase III: Plan Adoption

• The Planning Commission directs Planning & Zoning to solicit comments from the public (60-day comment period), required by the Land Use Article.
• Planning & Zoning recommends incorporating public comments into the draft plan for the Planning Commission’s consideration.
• The Planning Commission may request additional information prior to directing Planning & Zoning staff to schedule a public hearing.
• The Planning Commission holds a public hearing to consider public comments and determine consistency with the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan.
• Planning & Zoning presents the draft plan to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
• The BOCC may request additional information prior to directing Planning & Zoning to schedule a public hearing.
• The BOCC holds a public hearing and considers public comments. If the BOCC determines the draft plan supports the public health, safety and welfare of county residents, it adopts the draft plan.

Town Center Master Plans:

Title 3 of the Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, as amended, requires the Calvert County Planning Commission to hold a public hearing and determine whether each Town Center Master Plan Update is consistent with the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan. This determination must be made upon considering all staff reports, agency and local jurisdiction comments, comments from adjoining jurisdictions, comments from State units, and public comments. Based on this determination, the Calvert County Planning Commission is required to make a recommendation to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners for the approval of each Town Center Master Plan. The Board of County Commissioners must then hold a public hearing within 90 days of the Calvert County Planning Commission’s public hearing when such a recommendation is made for approval and adoption of each Town Center Master Plan.

Town Center Zoning Ordinances:

Title 4 of the Land Use Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, as amended, requires the  Board of County Commissioners to hold a public hearing to enact a town center zoning ordinance for each town center to provide for its administration, enforcement and amendment. The Board of County Commissioner’s enactment is made upon consideration of interested parties and public comments. Each town center zoning ordinance may not become effective until 10 days after the hearing or hearings.

Town Center Master Plans: 

The County’s Comprehensive Plan, Calvert 2040, was adopted in 2019 and amended in 2022. Each town center master plan is a necessary tool and is designed, together with the County Comprehensive Plan, to guide the county’s vision for future growth and development in each town center as part of the effort to promote the health, safety and general welfare of Calvert County residents. 

Town Center Zoning Ordinances:

The County’s Comprehensive Plan, Calvert 2040, was adopted in 2019 and amended in 2022. Each town center zoning ordinance is a necessary tool and is designed, together with the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance, to regulate land uses to implement the Comprehensive Plan and each town center master plan as part of the effort to promote the health, safety and general welfare of Calvert County residents. 

• Ensure town center master plans and zoning ordinances are consistent with the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan and the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance. 
• Ensure the vision for growth and development in each town center is relevant and that zoning regulations implement the visions of each town center master plan using current land use practices.
• Represent changes in each town center over time, such as demographics, land use, environmental protection and stewardship, cultural resource asset management, economic development trends, housing composition, transportation network and traffic conditions, government building and services expansion, etc.    
• Consider emerging issues, such as furthering affirmative fair housing, housing affordability, solar energy production, etc.
• Update relevant information on federal and state programs.

Calvert County Comprehensive Plan Relationship to Town Center Master Plans and Zoning Ordinances and other Functional Plans

The 1983 Calvert County Comprehensive Plan established the county’s town centers. The intent of town centers is to provide locations suitable for residential and commercial development and to avoid extending “strip commercial development” along Calvert County’s highways. Strip commercial development contributes to traffic congestion, increases the potential for highway traffic accidents, reduces the drawing power of commercial uses by limiting the opportunity to share customers with other nearby commercial uses, increases the cost of needed infrastructure and detracts from the visual beauty of the countryside.

The 2019 amendment to the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan eliminated the categories of major and minor town centers, resulting in one category—town center. The Calvert County Zoning Ordinance eliminates the town centers’ one-mile radius and replaces it with Residential Zoning District. Additionally, the Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2019 included Phase I and Phase II town center expansions. The 2022 amendment reduced the expansion area to the Huntingtown, Lusby, Prince Frederick ad Solomons town center.