Board approves Waddingham replacement house variance after large cleanup and mitigation pledge

The Saint Mary's County Board of Appeals unanimously approved VAAP‑25‑1468 on Jan. 8, permitting a replacement house and driveway that will disturb an expanded 100‑foot critical‑area buffer at 23678 Max Way in California, Md. The applicants said they will remove existing dilapidated structures, install a new septic system and provide extensive mitigation plantings.

Surveyor Steve Vaughn and owner Doug Waddingham told the board the property owner has removed more than 34 tons of debris from the site, cleared derelict structures and is enrolled in a forest‑management plan. Vaughn described a proposed replacement dwelling and driveway with minimized grading and said the applicants propose to plant about 57,363 square feet as mitigation while disturbing approximately 19,121 square feet of buffer.

Public comment included praise for the cleanup and stewardship; no written opposition directly challenged the request (staff noted one written concern about trees in a different parcel, which staff said did not pertain to this site). After discussion the board moved and unanimously approved the variance, conditioned on the mitigation and a buffer‑management plan to be approved prior to issuance of building permits. The board directed staff to prepare the order for signature within 60 days.