Approved: The Meadows Townhomes
Planning Board Attaches Conditions
By a unanimous vote, the Planning Commission approved the Meadows Townhomes, a development of 162 units off Willows Road. Commission members met on September 29 to review the project, asking questions of the developer’s team to confirm details on traffic and environmental mitigation.
Anthony Olekson, of engineering firm COA Barrett, explained the project’s layout is meant to “follow the natural contour of the land, creating a community that blends with the existing landscape.” A large portion of the site will remain wooded, encompassing stream, wetland, and floodplain buffers. Three and a half acres of additional site landscaping is provided to offset extra parking as required by the comprehensive zoning ordinance, and the community has 1.3 miles of sidewalk.
Discussion turned to school bus stops for the estimated 35 elementary, 17 middle, and 25 high school students expected to live in the neighborhood. Lynn Delahay, planning commission member, asked where a school bus would pick up or drop off students. Olekson said the development’s main entrance would have an acceleration/deceleration lane the bus could stop in, or it could loop through the neighborhood and exit via the south access. Howard Thompson, commission chair, suggested installing a concrete pad kids could use as a bus stop.
Rendering of development from planning documents.
Several commission members inquired about traffic and the proposed mitigation for additional vehicles brought by the development. Jackie Plott, traffic consultant, said roughly 475 cars would generate nearly 950 additional daily trips. All intersections remain at an “A” level of service, except for Route 5/Willows Road during the PM peak travel period where the level of service drops to a “B”. Though past assessments have shown the need to signalize that intersection, Plott stated it is up to the State Highway Administration (SHA) to approve.
Prioritizing a traffic light at Willows and Route 5 is a decision that should be made by the County Commissioners. Donald Mills, acting director of the Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPWT), said the project has not been listed in the Commissioner’s priority letter sent to the SHA each year. That would get it on their radar, Mills said.
Meadows Way Development, LLC proposed a traffic mitigation fee of $142.67 per lot based on a 2006 letter from DPWT approving the same amount for neighboring developments. There were several questions from the commission about the fee being outdated. According to John Houser, deputy county attorney, the project’s impact doesn’t denigrate traffic service enough to meet the threshold where a mitigation payment is required. If this were a true fee-in-lieu of mitigation, rather than a nicety offered by the developer, Houser “would expect” efforts to be undertaken by county staff to update the cost.
Estimated to cost $100,000 two decades ago, a traffic signal could now be triple that amount. Planning Commission member Joseph St. Clair asked if there was a dedicated account for funds contributed by other developments in the past, to which Mills answered affirmatively. St. Clair wanted to confirm it wasn’t put with the county’s general fund balance, but earmarked specifically for the signal.
Concerns about the environment were also raised by members of the planning commission and several members of the public who spoke at the meeting. Denise Sullivan, from environmental company Urban Green, reviewed numerous records and maps of the property to determine where an old dump site may exist. Urban Green prepared reports and will oversee the removal of any refuse and affected soil.
St. Mary’s County Planning Commission
The concept site plan approval included the following conditions:
Road improvements required by the State and county must be complete before a certificate of occupancy is issued;
Site plan must be amended to include the bus stop pad site location, and extend the northern barrier fence;
Complete a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment and follow recommendations in a final report;
Provide copies of final Environmental Management Plans to the Dept. of Land Use & Growth Management and St. Mary’s County Health Department;
Provide certification from an appropriate professional of compliance with any environmental recommendations;
Comply with any and all Maryland Dept. of Environment regulations for site remediation.
Full buildout is expected to take 3-5 years. Most of the townhomes will be three bedrooms, with some having a fourth bedroom/office space, ranging from 1700 to 2200 square feet in size. Sale prices will vary depending on size, from $379,000 to $409,000 depending on market rate at the time.
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