LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — During the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 1, the commission approved by a 4-3 vote a site plan for a mixed-use development on the corner of FDR Boulevard and Route 4 that will allow for the construction of a six-story apartment building and 3.5 story townhouse-style apartment building on the property.
“The mixed-use is lightning in a bottle,” said Mark Higgs, a general contractor affiliated with the project.
The goal of the property is to create large-scale and clustered commercial residential uses while having transportation corridors nearby.
Considering the goal of the plan, these buildings will combine to bring 233 dwelling units to the area and a restaurant. Along with the units and restaurants, there will be underground parking available for an estimated 331 vehicles.
The restaurant and clubhouse will be on the ground floor of the apartment building.
The restaurant will serve unpackaged food and beverages to people at their tables, and the restaurant will offer alcoholic beverages with food.
The restaurant will also allow outside dining.
However, alcoholic beverages have to make up less than 50% of the gross receipts.
They designed the site for intensive residential, commercial, and industrial development. As a result, this site plan was argued to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and will promote the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
After a discussion of the logistics of the plan, two community members gave their thoughts on what the development will mean to the county.
Here are the public testimonies in part:
“What I see is these buildings becoming an economic center of gravity for this county,” said James Krilich, a resident and army veteran. “We have to provide a high quality of life and security for people we want to bring here.”
“We would like to have these folks as a neighbor,” said Tim Tulus, youth pastor at Patuxent Baptist Church. “This would bring people to this spot. We just wanted to say we would be happy to have them.”
Contrary to the public testimonies, the planning commission took issue with the traffic the site could cause.
A traffic agreement from 2006 holds sway in this case, said Traffic Consultant Jackie Chandler. It allows up to 906 vehicle trips in the morning and 903 in the afternoon/evening.
Traffic is back to 2019 levels in the area, she said. Although many people now work from home, work and delivery vans have made up the difference.
But, the planning commission agreed to approve the site plan.
Planning Commission member Joe St. Clair made the motion to approve the plan, which was seconded by Joe Fazekas. Evans and Board Chair Howard Thompson joined them in voting yes.
Commission members Joe VanKirk, William “BJ” Hall, and Patricia Robrecht voted no. Kim Summers was absent.
See the original full staff presentation below:
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Looking at that picture makes one think,Not for the “poor folks” who need housing.
Some will be section 8 apartments. You think St.Mary’s county is bad now just wait. You ain’t seen nothing yet. F46.
This is too much!! Last thing we need is more drug infested apartments! They’re going to keep SMCSO busy.
That’s the problem already, we need less “poor folks” housing and more upscale housing. That’s why Lexington Park is the dump it is due to all the “poor folks” trailers/housing in that area. It needs a face lift.
Believe it or not, the people on section 8 (mostly white here in St. Mary’s) keep their places nice because they can be inspected, and if not kept up could LOSE their section 8 voucher. Also, section 8 doesn’t always pay all the rent, so some folks actually contribute a portion of their pay to rent. There are people that own houses that are filthier than a majority on Section 8.
who’s making the decision? f45.
Not f46
That intersection is starting to reach capacity before this monstrosity goes in. Adding hundreds of trips per day will overwhelm it, but by then the folks who voted yes will be long gone. 233 dwellings with 311 parking spaces. Maybe that math works in downtown DC but it’s entirely inadequate for a rural county like St Mary’s. Economic engine? How? You think a restaurant will create a boom town when so many others have come and gone in this area before. Maybe this developer won’t take years to complete the required road improvements like the shopping center after they begged to open.
“We have to provide a high quality of life and security for PEOPLE WE WANT TO BRING HERE.”
“We would like to have these folks as a neighbor, said Tim Tulus, youth pastor at Patuxent Baptist Church.”
“This would bring people to this spot. We just wanted to say we would be happy to have them.”
Are they delusional? Unless the rent is over $2,500 a month, we all know what will move in there as soon as the complex is finished now don’t we? If you get bored, just check out the “residents” in the buildings around there now…
St. Mary’s used to be a beautiful rural county. Looks like it’s going to end up being just another D.C. suburb.
Do they know that they will be living on top of a reclaimed landfill full of garbage? Do people know that because of the current landfill right behind them, the insects and mosquitos will be more than they can deal with? Underground parking? Parking in a rotted garbage landfill. What were you thinking.
Underground parking is smart- the county should have started implementing it years ago. 45 going to jail. There is plenty of ‘affordable’ housing in downtown Lexington Park. Go 46!
The young people that are not moving here are still not going to want to move here. They are still going to say “there is nothing to do here” and not want to stay because there is still nothing to do here. We need better recreational activities, draws, policing, open area markets, events and things for people to do. If you can’t fix the blight that is already here and bring something better than Breezeline and Route 235 congestion it will never improve. Build build build and no one will come.
More “housing”, with ZERO added infrastructure to support it.
Run the committee out of town on a rail, they’re hurting their constituents.
If only we had rail
So.. has the planning committee considered where these people will receive medical attention? When does the hospital get the much needed improvements to ensure they can continue to serve the ENTIRE community?