Charles County has formally enacted a zoning change that clarifies where large retail stores can be built and reduces parking requirements for retail development, according to a public notice posted by the county government. Bill 2026-07, which implements Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) #26-190, takes effect Oct. 16, 2026.
The amendment resolves a conflict between the county’s zoning ordinance text and a companion table that had created ambiguity over where “Retail Sales Over 100,000 Square Feet” is an allowed use. Under the corrected language, the use is permitted with conditions in the Mixed-Use (MX) and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones. The bill also newly authorizes the use, with conditions, in the Acton Urban Center (AUC) zone — an expansion beyond what current code allows.
The bill additionally removes a requirement that qualifying large retail buildings be constructed as two stories, and it establishes a minimum parking ratio specific to stores over 100,000 square feet while reducing minimum parking ratios for retail uses generally by 20 percent countywide.
The change caps a process the commissioners began earlier this year, when Commissioner Amanda Stewart requested staff draft legislation to fix the code conflict and give the county more flexibility to attract large-format retailers to its mixed-use and transit-oriented corridors, including parts of Waldorf. Planning staff formally introduced the bill in July, and the Charles County Commissioners held a public hearing on Sept. 1 before voting to approve it.
Supporters of the amendment during the legislative process argued the change would remove a regulatory barrier to commercial development and cut down on oversized, underused parking lots. Some planning commission members had previously expressed concern about allowing a large, single-story building in the transit-oriented development zone without additional public input, though those concerns did not block the bill’s ultimate passage by the commissioners.
The amendment does not itself approve or guarantee any specific retail project; any large retailer seeking to build under the new rules would still need to go through the county’s standard site plan and permitting review.
