Planning commission recommends rezoning 14.47 acres off Route 589 to allow 87 townhomes, citing infill and infrastructure changes

The Worcester County Planning Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the County Commissioners for rezoning a 14.47-acre parcel near Route 589 from R-2 (suburban single-family) to R-3 (multifamily), which the applicant said would allow up to 87 townhouse units instead of roughly 60 single-family lots under the current zoning.

Attorney and project representative Hugh Cropper framed the request as infill consistent with the county comprehensive plan and 'smart growth' principles. "We feel like it's consistent with the current comprehensive plan and it's consistent with the proposed, comprehensive plan," Cropper told the commission while presenting a neighborhood exhibit and a list of area changes since the last comprehensive rezoning.

Traffic testimony from professional engineer Carl Wilson supported the applicant’s density request: Wilson said Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip-generation rates show the 87 attached units would generate fewer daily and peak-period trips than 58–60 single-family homes. "It would be less," Wilson testified, and his exhibit indicated roughly 8 fewer AM peak trips, 16 fewer PM peak trips and about 163 fewer daily trips for the townhouse scenario compared with the single-family alternative.

Environmental consultant Chris McCabe confirmed that delineated non-tidal wetlands could be avoided and that the applicant offered a 100-foot wooded buffer as a condition to protect adjacent Ocean Pines residential lots. Commissioners questioned neighborhood boundary definitions and whether parcels across Route 589 should be included in the rezoning neighborhood; the commission voted to adjust the neighborhood boundary to include part of the parcels across the road before making findings.

After discussion of sewer capacity, school impacts and emergency-services response, a commissioner moved and the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the County Commissioners with findings that the character of the neighborhood has changed and that R-3 zoning would be consistent with comprehensive-plan objectives. The vote passed with several commissioners recorded as opposed; the transcript named "Miss Sott" and "Mr. Barberi" among the opponents and at least one commissioner recorded a vocal 'I oppose' during roll call. Staff will include the neighborhood map and the applicant’s findings in the packet forwarded to the County Commissioners; a public hearing before the County Commissioners is the next procedural step.