Planning Commission To Review

In February 2025, Home Depot submitted a concept site plan to St. Mary’s County’s Land Use & Growth Management (LUGM), proposing a 137,000-square-foot store in the Lexington Exchange development off Oak Crest Drive in California. The shopping center already houses R/C Theaters, Aldi, Chipotle, and several office/flex buildings. A third Royal Farms is under construction nearby, with four additional pad sites still available.

The proposed store would occupy 13 acres, featuring a 107,658 SF main building and a 25,782 SF garden center.

County zoning requires 668 parking spaces based on the formula of five spaces per 1,000 square feet. However, Home Depot is proposing only 451 spaces, with 41 set aside for displays and rentals (trailers, sheds, equipment, and cart corrals) and the remaining for customer use.

Attorney Chris Longmore, representing the project, argues this meets actual demand, citing Home Depot’s national experience. He also points to the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which discourages excessive paved surfaces to allow more open space. But the plan already meets the minimum open space requirement, leaving unclear how the argument applies.

A bigger hurdle may be sewer infrastructure. According to a February 2025 review by the Metropolitan Commission (MetCom), the existing temporary Oak Crest Sewer Pump Station is already at capacity. While a permanent station is designed, it isn’t scheduled for construction and doesn’t appear in MetCom’s FY25–FY30 capital improvement plan.

Without a sewer solution, building permits can’t be issued. The timeline could move up only if the developer finances the upgrade.

Traffic will also see a significant uptick. The project is expected to generate 3,309 additional daily trips, including 95 vehicles per hour in the morning and 143 in the evening.

The county’s Adequate Public Facilities Report lists nearby intersections at Oak Crest Drive/MD 235 and MD 235/MD 4 as “F” level of service, while Airport Road/MD 235 scores a “D”.

St. John’s Properties, the Lexington Exchange developer, has already implemented improvements based on a 2018 traffic study (still valid today), including:

A left-turn lane from MD 235 to Wildewood Blvd
Extension of the third northbound lane on MD 235 near Oak Crest Drive
A right-in/right-out entrance between Royal Farms and Chipotle
Sidewalk connections and an STS bus shelter

The developer would pay a $100,000 fee-in-lieu (FIL) to support right-of-way purchases for the future MD 4/MD 235 interchange, a state project tied to the long-term Thomas Johnson Bridge replacement. That upgrade is estimated at $1 billion or more but remains unfunded beyond preliminary studies.

Originally, the Home Depot site was slated for office/flex buildings. A January 2025 letter from Traffic Concepts, Inc. to DPWT shows the retail use will actually reduce peak-hour trips compared to the prior plan—from 178 to 94 in the morning and 182 to 142 in the evening.

Although Home Depot’s footprint is 133,440 SF, traffic calculations only count the 107,658 SF main building (excluding the garden center), per the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Trip Generation Manual. Due to the traffic reduction, the developer’s FIL payment will drop from $100K to $90K, required before building permits are issued.

The right-in/right-out access between Chipotle and Royal Farms currently operates at LOS “E”, which typically requires analysis for a traffic signal under the county’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. However, the traffic report says “signalization would not typically be an option.” Instead, the nearby Oak Crest Drive signal is expected to create sufficient gaps for vehicles to enter and exit.

The Planning Commission will review Home Depot’s concept site plan on Monday, July 28th at 6:30pm at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown. Those unable to attend can email comments to megan.higgs-carter@stmaryscountymd.gov

Click here for meeting documents.

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