Here is a number that explains a lot about Charles County’s building year: zero.
That is how many preliminary subdivision plans the county has approved so far in 2026, Planning Division staff told the Planning Commission at its Oct. 5 meeting. The plans are the early step that creates the lots builders later fill with homes. The rest of the numbers staff presented, from the first three quarters of the year, back up what that zero suggests.
The numbers
The commission recently asked staff for more regular updates on development statistics, usually shared once a year in the Planning Commission annual report. Staff said they plan to report every few months. The update covered the first three quarters of 2026:
- Preliminary subdivision plans: None approved, though staff said developers have shown “a lot of interest” at the concept-plan stage. One large concept plan came from one of the final neighborhoods being developed in St. Charles and is expected to return soon as a preliminary plan.
- Final plats: About 475 minor and major plats approved, a “fairly low” number if the pace holds, staff said. A light amount of commercial lots were recorded.
- Site development plans: 23 approved, covering more than 300 residential units, mostly townhouses, and more than 400,000 square feet of commercial space. More than 270,000 square feet of that is in the third phase of Berry Point on Berry Road, a light industrial hub.
- Commercial building permits: 12, totaling 105,000 square feet, which puts the year ahead of the usual annual pace. Staff cited a dealership going up on Route 301, a medical building in Waldorf and a new Royal Farms in Indian Head.
- Residential building permits: Around 339 housing units, counting single-family, townhouse and multifamily homes. Staff called the pace steady but “fairly low” compared with what the county expects in a given year. The fourth quarter will be added in the new year.
How that compares
The county’s count measures one thing; the state and federal governments measure another. The Maryland Department of Planning’s year-to-date report shows 421 new housing units in Charles County from January through August 2026, all single-family. The state data is unaudited, and the counts do not match the county’s 339, so the Chronicle is presenting both.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s annual figures, published through the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, put Charles County at 935 units authorized in 2025, 1,542 in 2024, 1,123 in 2023, 992 in 2022 and 931 in 2021. At a straight-line pace, 339 units over nine months works out to about 450 for the year, and the state’s 421 over eight months to about 630. Either figure would be below every year since 2021, and both are well under 2024. A simple projection ignores seasonality, and the fourth quarter could change the picture.
Neighboring counties are also slow. The state shows 134 units in St. Mary’s and 88 in Calvert through August, both less than Charles County’s total.
Why it’s happening
Staff did not offer a reason. Statewide, The Baltimore Banner reported in July that Maryland permits have fallen from nearly 23,000 units in 2022 to about 13,000 in 2025, and it cited higher mortgage rates, a shortage of homes for sale and slow local approvals.
What it means
A thin pipeline of preliminary plans means fewer finished lots down the road. The same meeting also approved the last section of Parklands in St. Charles, 108 age-restricted homes, and moved a rule change forward that would let some projects with approved preliminary plans avoid further extension requests; it returns for another public hearing Nov. 2. Meanwhile, the county’s affordable housing pilot has funded 289 units that are not yet built, the Chronicle reported.
What to watch
- The fourth-quarter totals, due in the new year.
- The preliminary plan for the large St. Charles neighborhood.
- The Nov. 2 Planning Commission hearing on the subdivision rule change.
