Proposal to lower housing size attracts little attention

One speaks at county public hearing on plan

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

Only one person spoke briefly about the zoning text amendment proposed by the Charles County commissioners that would reduce the minimum size of single-family homes and townhouses from 1,650 square feet to 1,250 square feet during a Charles County Planning Commission hearing Sept. 14 in the county government building. The amendment is being proposed by the commissioners to provide developers a way to build more affordable housing in the county, particularly for young professionals who are just starting out in their careers.

If the commissioners adopt the amendment it would impact housing units in the county's development district in Waldorf and White Plains, said commissioners' President F. Wayne Cooper (D) in an earlier interview.

Rick Campbell, a Nanjemoy resident running for the District 2 county commissioners' seat against commissioners' Vice President Edith J. Patterson (D), was the lone speaker at Monday's meeting.

On Tuesday, he said he definitely supports the county's effort in trying to provide more affordable housing but he said he thinks the zoning text amendment might not be the best way to address the issue.

"We absolutely need to do something about affordable housing in the county but bringing down the square footage of single-family homes and townhouses might not address the problem," he said. The county should first try to work with owners of foreclosed properties and fill any empty apartment units that are already in the county because it would provide less impact on the infrastructure such as water and sewer and roads and seats in the county school system, he said.

In addition, Campbell said the county commissioners should work to identify specifically what workforce housing is before changing the zoning ordinance to address the issue.

The proposed amendment reverses a decision made by the county commissioners in the late 1990s to address the declining property values of a glut of townhouses that sprouted up throughout the development district. The townhouses did not sell and many of them were rented out, causing property values to slide even more because many tenants did not take care of the units.

The only change in the current standards for construction of single-family homes and townhouses if the amendment is adopted will be the reduced size of the units, said Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D). All of the tighter architectural standards that were adopted in the late 1990s such as that the fronts of the units must be brick and up to only six units can be attached to a "stick" in townhouse communities will remain in place, he said.

If adopted the amendment comes with some conditions, including 25 percent of the units in a community must be at least 1,250 square feet, 25 percent must be a minimum of 1,450 square feet and the remaining units must be at least 1,650 square feet, according to county planners.

In addition, dwelling units that are less than 1,650 square feet must be mixed within a subdivision rather than being segregated with one another, county planners said.

Finally, 100 percent of housing units in minor subdivisions and existing plotted lots in the development district must be a minimum of 1,250 square feet, according to county planners.

The planning commission will hold a work session after the record closes Oct. 14 and then forward a recommendation to the county commissioners.

The commissioners will hold a public hearing and work session before rendering a decision on the matter.

Adams Crossing plan approved

During Monday's meeting the planning commission approved a general development plan for the Adams Crossing subdivision that will be built on about 69 acres off Vivian Adams Drive in Waldorf.

Facchina Development wants to build a mix of 422 apartment and townhouse units in the community that will be located across from John Hanson Middle School, according to county planners.

The next step in the process is for the developer to gain preliminary plan approval from the planning commission, county planners said.

The planning commission approved the general development plan following a brief public hearing.

Waldorf office building, day care center approved

The planning commission also approved a site development plan for the Bowie Office Building on Post Office Road in Waldorf during the meeting.

The 20,000-square-foot building will house office space and a day care center for up to 30 children, county planners said during the meeting. The two-story building that will be north of the Waldorf Post Office will be built on a little more than an acre of land, according to county planners.

The property is located within the St. Charles planned unit development zone and the project's site development plan was approved by the St. Charles Planning Design Review Board in February, county planners said.