Callaway Royal Farms (and more?)

Royal Farms is proposing a fourth location in St. Mary's County, with plans for a convenience store and gas station at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 249 in Callaway.

A concept plan submitted June 1 by Two Farms Inc., doing business as Royal Farms, shows the proposed development on more than 3 acres adjacent to the existing Dollar General store in Callaway. Bowman Consulting Group is serving as the project's engineer.

Parcels outlined in red are incorporated into the concept plan.

The proposal includes a 5,154-square-foot convenience store, a 5,362-square-foot fuel canopy with 14 gasoline pumps, a separate diesel fueling area with three pumps and 44 parking spaces. The project encompasses four parcels, three owned by Point Callaway LLC and one owned by Callaway Two LLC.

Plans show vehicle access from both Route 5 and Route 249. The Route 249 entrance would include a re-striped left-turn lane for traffic heading toward Piney Point, along with a through lane. Access from Route 5 would be limited to right turns in and right turns out of the property.

Concept Plan

If approved, the development would add another fuel station to an area already served by several nearby competitors. Shell, USA Fuel and the recently opened Weis gas station are all located within a short distance of the proposed site. A Sheetz convenience store and gas station is located less than 1.5 miles away at the intersection of Great Mills Road and Route 5.

County records show the site was previously proposed for a 7-Eleven convenience store in 2020. The Planning Commission ultimately denied that application, citing concerns that large trucks entering and exiting the property could create traffic safety issues. Local residents were against the project.

Traffic estimates included with the Royal Farms concept plan project nearly 3,300 vehicle trips per day generated by the convenience store and fuel operations. The estimates are based on formulas published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

The concept plan leaves a portion of the property undeveloped between the proposed Royal Farms and the adjacent Dollar General. A planned interparcel connection at the front and rear of the site would provide access to the neighboring property.

Traffic Generation Table from Concept Plan

A traffic-generation table included with the plan references a future Tractor Supply store that could generate approximately 300 additional daily vehicle trips. However, no Tractor Supply development is shown elsewhere on the concept plan, and no separate application for such a project has been publicly filed with the county.

If both developments were ultimately constructed as reflected in the traffic analysis, they could generate a combined 3,600 daily vehicle trips in the area.

The proposal remains in the early stages of county review. No Planning Commission hearing has been scheduled, and the concept plan is currently under review by the Department of Land Use and Growth Management.

The project also emerges as county officials debate new regulations governing gas stations and certain retail uses. The St. Mary's County Commissioners recently voted to advance a zoning text amendment that would require gas stations, small-box discount stores and vape shops to obtain conditional-use approval from the Board of Appeals before proceeding through the development process.

A public hearing on the proposed amendment is scheduled for July 14 at 6:30 p.m.

It is unlikely any new regulations would apply to the Callaway Royal Farms proposal if adopted, and would depend on the timing of approval for both.

Callaway is designated as a Village Center in the county's comprehensive plan, an area intended to accommodate a mix of commercial and residential development serving surrounding communities.

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