03/25/2026
COMMENT DEADLINE IS TODAY! Should Piney Point have Town Center Zoning??
Hello Piney Point residents and interested citizens,
The comment period on the final draft of the St. Mary's County 2050 plan ends this Wednesday, March 28th at 5:00 PM. The issue for Piney Point residents is that the Plan identifies Piney Point as a town center.
The definition of a Town Center as described on page 24 in the draft plan is:
Town Centers
"Town Centers are secondary growth centers that are urban in pattern and form; designated for moderately intense residential, commercial, and industrial development; and are supported by the provision of community facilities and services. These areas are Charlotte Hall, Hollywood, Mechanicsville, New Market, and Piney Point.
Town Centers are designated as receiving areas for Transferrable Development Rights (TDRs) and should be provided with infrastructure that supports densities of up to 5 units per acre. Mixed use development is encouraged in these areas, and master plans should be generated for each of the town centers to ensure that visual and functional qualities of development adhere to standards for landscaping, architectural design, on-site and off-site advertising, access, lot coverage and open space, and buffering from adjacent developments and transportation corridors.
Development in Town Centers should discourage strip development and restrict direct access onto major transportation corridors. If master plans are prepared for individual town centers, the service areas of public facilities should be mapped to assist in establishing growth patterns and identifying infrastructure needs."
There are two ways to comment and I recommend doing both.
1. Send your comments via email to [email protected]
2. Fill out the relevant portion of the online survey
Go to : St Mary's 2050 - St. Mary's County, MD (You can view the entire draft plan here as well)
Click on the box GET INVOLVED (top row of buttons)
Scroll down, click on the gray box PARTICIPATE NOW
This takes you to the online survey form.
Click the blue CONTINUE button at the bottom of each page nine times until you get to the page titled: LAND USE MAP CATEGORIES where you'll see a map that identifies much of Piney Point as Mixed Use - Moderate Intensity, and the rest as Mixed Use - Low Intensity.
Under that map is the question: Do you support the draft Land Use Map as shown? If you would like to see less density, Click NO
Scroll down to the next map. Click on the RED PIN for LESS DENSITY and drag and drop it on Piney Point. You can enlarge the map first.
Below that is a box where you can enter your comments. If you draft a response in word you can cut and paste it in the comment box.
Keep hitting CONTINUE until you get to the end and then hit SUBMIT
