Calvert County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Calvert County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Reversal of Industrial II rezoning near Calvert Cliffs
State historic preservation findings cited in public comment indicate the proposed data center campus near Lusby will likely adversely affect two National Register-eligible sites: the Parran's Park tobacco barn complex and the Baltimore and Drum Point Railroad bed.
New state Critical Area variance standards
Maryland has tightened Critical Area variance rules effective immediately. Future applicants must show substantial need beyond convenience or financial advantage, prove their project can't be located outside the habitat protection area, and comparison properties must be truly similar. Board members expect more detailed orders and possibly more denials.
Chapter 92 property-maintenance code revisions
Planning and Zoning proposed modernizing the property-maintenance code: consistent countywide standards, 60-day correction periods, removal of the unenforceable 'dangerous tree' provision, and dropping excessive-growth enforcement in the critical area. The Board gave consensus direction to prepare amendments for a public hearing.
NAS Patuxent River compatibility study and Drum Point zones
The Navy's updated AICUZ study, for the first time, maps accident potential zones curving over Drum Point in Calvert County and recommends the county adopt an overlay zone and coordinate development reviews with the base.
Data Center Zoning Conditions (Text Amendment #26-23)
Planning & Zoning brought forward a zoning text amendment adding conditions for data centers. A commenter criticized the county's history of granting repeated temporary permits to non-compliant businesses and urged strong enforcement tools like work stop orders rather than fines.
Dunkirk Town Center setbacks restored
Most Owings survey respondents said they'd rather the area NOT remain a town center, raising the question of rezoning the whole area. Commissioners flagged the proposed 88-acre expansion across Route 260 as a dealbreaker, and staff will test public sentiment at a September 24 kickoff before deciding whether this becomes a rezoning process instead.
Home daycares and kennels
A couple wants to run a low-volume mobile pet grooming trailer from their driveway, one client at a time. Neighbors wrote in support; the board approved it but tied the approval to the current owners at this address.
Electronic message centers at public recreation areas
Parks and recreation areas — including ones not owned by the county, like the fairground — can now replace old reader boards with electronic message centers, in kind. This mirrors the policy adopted last year for places of worship.
Exception lot sunset extension
Landowners hoping to create exception or family conveyance lots got a one-year reprieve — the deadline for preliminary approval moves from March 1, 2027 to March 1, 2028, because wet conditions have blocked perk testing.
Agricultural preservation rule cleanup
First comprehensive update to the ag preservation rules since 1978 — dropping expensive boundary survey requirements, reimbursing first-time TDR sellers up to $500 per right, and treating tenant houses as accessory dwellings under new state law. A public hearing comes next.
Dunkirk Town Center boundary expansion
The plan proposes adding the Dunkirk District Park and the state-run park-and-ride into the town center boundary. Commissioners probed whether that could invite future development of parkland and what benefit inclusion provides.
Huntingtown Town Center Master Plan update
The 1993 Huntingtown master plan is getting its first real refresh. Survey respondents want to keep the town center designation but worry about traffic, vacant storefronts, and overdevelopment. A public kickoff meeting is set for September 15 at the firehouse.
Zoning Ordinance text amendments TA 26-25 through TA 26-30
Six proposed zoning changes went to work session: sign rules, exception and family conveyance lots, critical-area tree cutting, home businesses, agricultural preservation districts, and reinstating Dunkirk town center setbacks.
Master Plan of Town Centers adoption
The draft Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan gets its public hearing February 18, 2026 — the same night as the solid waste plan hearing.
Board of Appeals process and special exception criteria
Board members clashed over whether they can grant a special exception before a traffic study exists, since the criteria require a finding that the use 'will not create congestion.' The chair asked that the criteria wording be revisited to fit the county's concept-review-first process.
2026 Annual Report on county growth and preservation
The county's annual report to the state shows 118 new residential permits in 2025, nearly 4,900 units of remaining residential capacity, and 82% of the 40,000-acre farmland preservation goal met. It's the data the state and county use to steer future land-use policy.
Proposed Amazon/AWS data center campus adjacent to Constellation's Calvert Cliffs facility
State historic preservation findings cited in public comment indicate the proposed data center campus near Lusby will likely adversely affect two National Register-eligible sites: the Parran's Park tobacco barn complex and the Baltimore and Drum Point Railroad bed.
Residential variances in Owings and Lusby
Two homeowners needed zoning relief — one to build a screened porch close to a property line, the other to build deck steps inside the Critical Area buffer on a waterfront lot. Both got unanimous approval.
Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan and EC-zoned land
Roughly 50-60 acres of employment-center-zoned land near Prince Frederick could be folded into the town center, potentially allowing apartments and townhouses. Commissioners worried about more traffic and density, and voted to redesignate it "edge commercial" — commercial only — and restart public review.
Home-based pet grooming business in Owings
A couple wants to run a low-volume mobile pet grooming trailer from their driveway, one client at a time. Neighbors wrote in support; the board approved it but tied the approval to the current owners at this address.
Small pier on 32 feet of Back Creek frontage
Suzanne Weems needs setback relief just to build a 6-by-16-foot fishing pier because her tiny waterfront parcel makes the standard 25-foot side setbacks overlap. Nobody objected.