Keep Calvert Country

KCC’s Initial Assessment of the Comprehensive Plan Draft 2:
 

Below are concerns that KCC has with the 2nd Draft of the Comprehensive Plan.  For details on each issue, read our blog entitled, “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” written by Greg Bowen, AICP and former Planning Director. It can be viewed here. 

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FORUM TOPICS

Traffic:

• Our current and future traffic problems are still not addressed in the 2nd draft. This is the biggest quality of life issue that County citizens face: The Commissioners project 72% traffic volume increase to 83,500 trips per day through Prince Frederick by 2030 which is 39% more trips per day than on MD 5 north of Waldorf. That traffic increase will be felt along the entire MD 4 corridor.

• The Transportation Section is simply misleading and inadequate.

 

Growth:

• The consultant misrepresents the growth potential and underestimates projected growth.

• The build-out (max # of households) has been removed and the Plan recommends actions that will increase residential development.

• It increases density to the benefit of developers, who will be allowed to develop more in the Town Centers while purchasing fewer TDRs (also adversely affecting the agricultural preservation program)

• New “Residential Areas” are proposed around Town Centers which will increase residential buildout.

• Developer–funded extension of public water and sewer into the “Residential Areas” is recommended around Prince Frederick, Lusby and Solomons.

• The Plan allows privately-funded community sewage treatment facilities to serve commercial, industrial and employment uses located outside Town Centers and Residential Areas, intensifying the amount of commercial development allowed.

• Prince Frederick is proposed to increase by 83% and Solomons and Lusby are being expanded and combined, but these expansions are not factored into projections for residential growth.

  

Town Centers:

• The Plan calls for tremendous expansions of the Town Centers, yet It includes very few recommendations for how to make our towns “vibrant”.

• Dunkirk is now a Major Town Center, which translates to greater commercial & residential development.

• It fails to recognize the importance of town center design, community involvement, etc. and does not address traffic.

 

Agricultural Preservation:

• Although we are happy that the Plan retains the goal of preserving 40,000 acres of farm and forest land, it fails to propose solutions that would revitalize the agricultural preservation program.

• It reduces the # of TDRs required in Town Centers, thereby reducing the market for them which in turn adversely affects the agricultural preservation program.