The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County will hold a public hearing Oct. 6 on the draft St. Mary’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan, moving the county’s long-range land-use and development blueprint into another stage of the adoption process.
The hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the Commissioners Meeting Room at the Chesapeake Building, 41770 Baldridge St. in Leonardtown. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with sign-up sheets available in the lobby for residents who want to speak.
Written comments will continue to be accepted for seven days after the hearing, through 5 p.m. Oct. 13. Comments can be sent by email to csmc@stmaryscountymd.gov or mailed to the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County at P.O. Box 653, Leonardtown, MD 20650.
The county announced the hearing Sept. 15 after commissioners held a work session on the proposed plan. County records show commissioners previously received a briefing on St. Mary’s 2050 on Aug. 18.
St. Mary’s 2050: Charting Our Tomorrow is intended to replace the county’s current comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 2010. County officials describe the document as a guide for land-use planning and public investment over the next 25 years.
The plan addresses a wide range of issues that could shape future development in St. Mary’s County, including housing, transportation, economic development, community facilities and infrastructure, farmland and rural preservation, human services, natural and cultural resources, and where future growth should be directed.
Although comprehensive plans do not by themselves rezone individual properties, they establish the policy framework that can influence later zoning, infrastructure and land-use decisions.
The Maryland Department of Planning describes comprehensive plans as guides for public and private decisions about how communities should develop. Maryland jurisdictions generally must review their comprehensive plans at least once every 10 years and revise or amend them when necessary.
St. Mary’s County is a non-charter county, meaning the Commissioners may adopt, modify, remand or disapprove a comprehensive plan submitted by the Planning Commission. State law requires the legislative body to hold a public hearing before adopting or modifying the plan.
The Oct. 6 hearing follows an extended public review process that began well before the draft reached the Commissioners.
St. Mary’s County launched the comprehensive plan update in October 2024. The process has included community visioning sessions, surveys, open houses, multiple Planning Commission work sessions and public hearings. County officials have said public feedback is intended to help shape the goals, policies and actions contained in the final plan.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the draft plan June 29. A separate July 7 hearing focused on applicant-requested land-use category changes associated with the broader comprehensive planning process.
The draft also went through state review.
According to the county’s St. Mary’s 2050 frequently asked questions, the Public Hearing Draft was formally submitted to the Maryland Department of Planning and neighboring jurisdictions April 30. That review is required under Maryland law before the local adoption process moves forward.
One of the more significant changes in the draft involves how future land uses are categorized.
The county says the proposed Land Use Map consolidates 23 existing land-use classifications into nine categories. County officials say the draft does not propose intensifying land uses through that consolidation.
The county also says the draft does not change the boundaries of the Development Districts, Town Centers or Village Centers shown on the Planning Areas Map. Those areas provide a broader framework for where growth and preservation are planned across St. Mary’s County.
The distinction between a comprehensive plan and zoning is important.
The county’s zoning map, which establishes the specific uses permitted on individual properties, is not part of the St. Mary’s 2050 draft. Future zoning actions would be separate from adoption of the comprehensive plan, although Maryland planning guidance says zoning should generally be consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan.
The proposed plan also continues the county’s longstanding emphasis on directing development toward designated growth areas while preserving agricultural land, environmentally sensitive areas and rural portions of the county.
County planning materials identify preservation, development and infrastructure investment as major functions of the comprehensive plan. The draft also includes policies addressing transportation, housing, water and sewer service, economic development, natural resources and public facilities.
The Oct. 6 hearing gives residents another opportunity to comment before commissioners take final action.
Those unable to attend can submit written testimony through Oct. 13. The county says comments received at the hearing and during the seven-day period afterward will be considered as part of the commissioners’ review.
The draft plan and supporting materials remain available through the St. Mary’s 2050 website.
Residents with questions can contact the Department of Land Use & Growth Management at 301-475-4200, ext. 1500, or StMarys2050@stmaryscountymd.gov.
The comprehensive plan process has now moved from development and Planning Commission review to consideration by the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County. What emerges from that process will provide the county’s primary long-range framework for decisions about growth, preservation and public investment through 2050.
