Planning commission approves West Side On Main after debate over traffic study and grandfathering

The Calvert County Planning Commission voted to approve the preliminary subdivision (SD 143478) and concept site plan (CSPR 143260) for West Side On Main, a mixed-use infill project in Prince Frederick that combines 24 townhomes with two commercial lots. Principal Planner Christine Finnimore presented staff's recommendation for conditional approval, noting the project will still need detailed site development and final plat steps, state highway permitting and public-works approvals before final permits are issued.

The meeting centered on a recurring dispute over the project's traffic impact analysis. Commissioner Burry said the traffic study's geographic scope excluded nearby failing intersections on Route 24 and warned that West Side On Main could add traffic to already strained approaches. "My understanding is that it is actually at the option, or the decision of the director of public works," Burry said, arguing the study should possibly extend to those intersections. Consulting traffic engineer Michael Lenhart responded that the analysis followed the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip-generation methodology and that the Department of Public Works had reviewed the study twice and conditionally approved it. Lenhart explained that "8 is what would leave in 1 60 minute period" for a 24‑unit townhouse development according to ITE empirical data.

Another point of contention was how the project fits with the county's recent zoning ordinance that reduced allowable density in Prince Frederick Town Center. Several commissioners debated grandfathering and vesting rules: staff and counsel said the adopting ordinance contains a grandfathering provision that allows projects submitted before adoption to proceed under prior rules but emphasized that any approving body must still find consistency with the comprehensive plan. Despite objections about density (one commissioner said the proposal's density was roughly 6.7 units per acre versus the new 4 units-per-acre standard), the commission concluded the application met required criteria at this stage and approved both applications with the conditions and agency comments detailed in the staff report.

The approvals are conditional: final engineering, tree‑mitigation/forest conservation requirements, stormwater and public-works approvals, and any required utility easements must be resolved in subsequent reviews before final plats and building permits can be issued.