The remaining phase of a residential project in the Prince Frederick Town Center received conditional preliminary subdivision plan approval from the Calvert County Planning Commission June 26, but only by the narrowest of margins.
When completed, Magnolia Ridge West will have 79 townhouse lots and open space on a 26 acre tract.
For the second month in a row, three planning commission members indicated skepticism about the contention that traffic flow in Prince Frederick will actually improve once a new road providing access to the new subdivision is built.
The new road is an extension of Fox Run Boulevard, which connects Route 2/4 to a shopping center and Chesapeake Boulevard. That road dead ends at Calvert Middle School.
Extending Fox Run Boulevard past Calvert High School would link it to Dares Beach Road.
Unlike the May meeting, when the planning panel reviewed Magnolia Ridge East, the traffic consultant who studied how the added homes and new road would affect traffic was on hand to field questions about his findings.
Michael Lenhart, traffic engineering consultant, noted the study related to Magnolia Ridge was reviewed and approved by the Maryland State Highway Administration. He also noted that originally Magnolia Ridge was supposed to have many more dwelling units.
“The levels of service today are actually slightly better than what they were in our original study,” Lenhart said.
Planning commission member Christopher J. Gadway asked Lenhart how traffic will be “better” in Prince Frederick, especially when school bus traffic is added to the mix.
Lenhart said the traffic study “overestimated by 100 units” the projected impact of the roadway extension, which he affirmed allows vehicles “to go where they want to go. There will be an alleviation of some of the existing traffic.”
He added that state highway officials will be “retiming” traffic signals to improve traffic flow.
Gadway asked about the study’s grades for Prince Frederick’s intersections once the project is completed.
Lenhart said the grades are “D or better.”
During a December 2022 discussion by the Calvert County commissioners regarding the adequate public facilities ordinance, the board members — including Gadway, who was serving an unexpired term — agreed that level D would no longer be regarded as acceptable for intersections.
“This project is vested under the old zoning ordinance,” Lenhart said.
“I get it,” Gadway replied. “In my house a ‘D’ wasn’t passing. It wasn’t acceptable.”
In the old ordinance town center intersections could pass with a D service rating.
Planning commission member Lisa Williams made the motion to grant preliminary site plan approval with the conditions recommended by county government staff.
Gadway, along with fellow planning commissioners Wilson Freeland and James McQueen voted opposed. The 3-to-3 tie vote was broken when John Toohey, planning commission chairman, voted in favor of Williams’ motion.
Master plan comment period beginsFollowing a staff update, the planning commission voted to OK the start of a 90-day comment period on the June 2024 draft of the Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan update.
In a followup press release, planning and zoning officials said residents, businesses and stakeholders are encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan until Sept. 25.
The draft plan is available online. Go to www.CalvertCountyMd.gov/PFTC.
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