Several elements of the 2012 Charles County Comprehensive Plan were passed during a Charles County Planning Commission work session on Monday night. However, the usual division was apparent as many of the votes were made on a 4-3 decision.
The first motion, which failed on a 4-3 vote, was on a merged scenario option for the Deferred Development District (DDD). The plan would’ve downsized the allowable development, but would’ve allowed Waldorf to develop and change some areas to a one unit per acre deferred status on the eastern end of the county to allow growth.
The second motion on the DDD, which passed on a 4-3 vote, is an import from the 2006 Comprehensive Plan that would leave the DDD boundaries the same until 2025 with considerations for release areas for future plans.
Planning Commission Member Lou Grasso said the DDD has been effective and the board has rejected several projects that were proposed which could have a negative effect on the Mattawoman Creek.
“The Deferred Development District has gone over significant scrutiny under this commission,” Planning Commission Vice Chairman Joe Richard said. “I know there have been some housing developments that have received to build, but generally speaking we have not opened up the Deferred Development District to real activity over the course of the last several years. I can recall two projects that were voted down by a majority of this planning commission. I think we have put in to place a number of protections already. The 1/10 is clearly provides us with a safeguard for discouraging development. I’ve not seen any interest by either the development community or other stakeholders who are interested in going in to the Deferred Development District.
“We’ve adopted protecting the Mattawoman as a board and a county government.”
“The Deferred Development District has served us well,” Grasso said.
A related vote on stream valley protection measures to keep the DDD at one unit per ten acres and to include part of the Mattawoman Valley and to keep all other streams at a density of one unit per three acres was passed by the board, on a 4-3 vote.
A Transfer of Development Rights program that would keep rural densities from the 2006 plan (one unit per three acres), keep qualifying criteria and study potential for new TDR receiving areas such as Newburg and Bel Alton was approved by the board on a 4-3 vote after the Priority Preservation Area element to the 2006 Comprehensive Plan was voted down.
“I think we need more sending areas in rural areas,” Grasso said. “It would be good if some of the village areas, like Bryans Road, Newburg and Bel Alton, could be referred as receiving areas. I’m confident the housing market will improve and now is the painless time for us to create a county funded purchase program.”
Three other options were proposed, but all three relied on the passage of a Priority Preservation
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