LEONARDTOWN — A three-story, 22-unit apartment building at Courthouse Drive and Fenwick Street has cleared its last vote before the town’s planning commission, putting upscale rentals aimed largely at retirees a short walk from the downtown square, and removing most of a stand of mature oaks at one of the town’s two main entrances.
The Leonardtown Planning and Zoning Commission approved the final site development plan for the Courthouse Drive Apartments, Case No. 2-25, on Oct. 19 with one condition: streetlights along Courthouse Drive must match the fixtures on Fenwick Street. The motion passed on a voice vote over at least one audible “nay”; the exact count could not be determined from the meeting recording.
Town planner Michael Bailey told the mayor and Town Council on Nov. 9 that two items remain: review by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the developer’s return with the light standards. Final site plan approval allows a project to move toward construction but is not itself a building permit, and the owner told the commission the apartments are probably two years from opening.
What was approved
The site is on the west side of Courthouse Drive and the south side of Fenwick Street. Staff told the commission the building will run parallel to Courthouse Drive, set back about 34 feet from the right of way, with apartments on two floors above ground-level parking.
- 22 apartments in a three-story building with a floor area of about 13,725 square feet
- 25 garage spaces under the building, including one accessible space
- 14 outdoor spaces on the lot, including one accessible space
- On-street spaces on Courthouse Drive to reach the 44 the town code requires
- 26 canopy trees and 20 understory trees in the planting plan
The parking count depends on the street. Town code requires 44 spaces for 22 units, and the lot itself holds 39 by staff’s tally. The rest are parallel spaces on Courthouse Drive, which St. Mary’s County had to allow by waiver because it classifies the road as a major collector. Staff said the county granted the waiver June 11.
Those street spaces cannot be reserved for tenants. When a commission member asked whether they would be marked for the building only, staff answered that they sit in a county right of way and remain public.
That matters in a town rethinking what it charges builders who come up short on parking. On Nov. 9 the town administrator asked the council to consider raising the fee developers pay in place of each missing space from $1,200 to between $10,000 and $12,000. She said no project now in the pipeline would be affected.
Who it is for, and what it may cost
Steve Valentine, who identified himself as trustee of the Bumpy Oak Corp. retirement trust that owns the property, described the building to the commission as upscale apartments he expects to draw mostly retirees. It will have an elevator from the garage to the top floor, courtyards and a wide exterior stair down to Fenwick Street, and will allow pets, he said.
Valentine at one point likened the project to assisted living. Asked about that by a commission member, he said it will not be operated as assisted living; he meant that an elevator building with covered parking and larger units suits older tenants.
Asked what rents would be, he estimated $2,500 to $2,700 a month for one-bedroom units and about $3,000 for two-bedrooms, while cautioning that opening is roughly two years away. A local management company will run the building, he said.
The objection: trees and a long wall
The sharpest criticism at the meeting concerned what the building replaces. One speaker called the roughly one-acre lot a high-visibility site at one of two entryways to town and said the mature trees at the back of it give people arriving downtown a natural backdrop.
By that speaker’s count, two of 24 mature trees measuring 24 to 40 inches in diameter would be saved, with replacements going in at 1.5 to 2 inches. The speaker estimated the larger oaks at 150 to 200 years old, described the 181-foot front facade as a wall facing drivers coming down Fenwick Street, and cited town design guidelines that discourage long, uninterrupted wall planes. The speaker added that he did not oppose development on the lot.
The applicant’s team told the commission the existing tree line includes trees with dead tops and some that lean, and that an arborist will evaluate which can stay. Tree loss was also the main point of contention when the commission approved the concept plan on April 21, 2025.
Commission members also weighed in on brick color. They stated a preference but stopped short of writing it into the motion, with one member saying color is not something the commission should dictate.
Eighteen months of approvals
Staff listed the sign-offs collected since concept approval, all in June 2026:
- June 2: Critical Area Commission, based on a design that meets the required 10% phosphorus reduction
- June 8: St. Mary’s Soil Conservation District
- June 11: St. Mary’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation, covering stormwater management, along with the on-street parking waiver
Town planning staff found the final plan consistent with Leonardtown’s 2025 comprehensive plan and the municipal code and recommended approval.
Bailey told the council Nov. 9 that, apart from the fire marshal’s review and the lighting, the project is “pretty much done” on the town’s end. He said he was to meet with the developers Thursday, Nov. 12.
Next for the planning commission
Parking is also the issue in the next case headed to the commission. Bailey said the owner of the Sterling House on Washington Street, two doors north of the Olde Town Pub, is using the building as commercial office space, which its zoning allows, but the site lacks the parking its square footage requires.
The owner has submitted a plan for 11 parking spaces plus an accessible space, with landscaping. Bailey said he will bring it to the commission for concept approval at its next meeting, which he told the council is Monday. The parking-fee change is expected to return to the council as a resolution in December.
