The size of the Lexington Park Development District would significantly shrink under a plan presented Monday night to the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission and which will be formally unveiled next month. The plan developed by the staff of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) would result in a number of properties being downzoned and losing development rights.
A plan was developed by a consultant after a series of community meetings at the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department. But LUGM Senior Planner Jeff Jackman told the planners that staff did not like some aspects of the consultant’s proposal and have been reworking it since then. He said the consultant focused on the core downtown area but staff felt the size of the district was too large and needed to shrink.
Jackman said the initial presentation was given to the planning commission so they wouldn’t be surprised when a formal presentation is made to them on April 22 and to the county commissioners the next day.
The proposal brought an immediate negative reaction from Planning Commission Vice Chair Shelby Guazzo. She noted that only 11 percent of county land is now currently in development districts. “To downsize seems very shortsighted to me, said Guazzo, who is a former county commissioner. She said many families were depending on the development potential of their land, which would now be lost in part.
The presentation from Jackman is available for viewing on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhwlxteSRI
The plan includes the following recommendations:
· Transform the historic center of Lexington Park into a modern, family-friendly commercial and civic downtown that serves as a destination for all St. Mary’s County.
· Create a system of services to support community well-being including senior and child care and other social an
