Zoning becomes political flashpoint

Commissioners, candidates square off

Friday, March 12, 2010

A public forum turned into a heated political forum Tuesday evening at the St. Mary's County commissioners meeting room.

Members of the Town Hall Alliance, Republican candidates for county commissioner affiliated with Commissioner Larry Jarboe, questioned and scrutinized the rest of the commissioners for their handling of zoning for certain properties during the comprehensive land-use plan update.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D) tried to explain the process.

Dan Morris, running for Mattingly's seat, asked about public notification for zoning options on an old munitions site in Hillville and a corner property on Golden Beach Road in Charlotte Hall.

The commissioners chose earlier that day to leave the 620-acre Hillville property in the rural preservation district after owner/developer Paul Facchina withdrew his request for industrial zoning.

The board then voted 3-2 to split zoning between town mixed use and residential mixed use for a 97-acre property on Golden Beach Road, owned by Burch Properties. Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D) and Jarboe voted no.

Morris asked if anyone near the Burch property was notified of the pending change. Mattingly said of the comprehensive plan, "It's gone through six public hearings, it's been shown on television on a weekly basis," for the work sessions.

"We have exceeded all the notification requirements by leaps and bounds," he said. The bare minimum requirement is two notices of a public hearing in a newspaper.

"Are you a member of the Town Hall Alliance?" Mattingly asked.

"Yes, I am," Morris said.

According to the Maryland Board of Elections, Morris is not a member of the slate — his name is absent. "I'll have to check that," Jarboe said Wednesday.

"A lot of these people had no clue what was going on," Morris said of the neighborhood in Hillville. Morris also wanted to know what specific plans there are for the Burch property. He speculated that low-income housing was planned there.

"We have no knowledge of low-income housing going in on this piece of property," Russell said.

"I am opposed to that type of housing in that part of the county," Morris said.

"This is comprehensive land use planning for the entire county," Mattingly said. Specific property plans are not required for zoning categories to change. "Evidently you don't understand the comprehensive plan," he said.

Richard A. Johnson, member of the Town Hall Alliance running for the seat held by Kenny Dement (R), said, "The process is kind of messed up because a lot of people didn't know about it" in the Hillville community.

Randy Guy, a member of the slate running for Russell's seat, asked the commissioners to reconsider the zoning for the Burch property.

Steve Riley of Hillville is not a member of the slate, but he said the munitions property issue was too secretive.

Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D) said to him, "I tried calling you … three times, maybe four and you didn't return my calls."

"I did," Riley said.

"When you reach out for information … don't be selective," Raley said.

Riley and the Town Hall Alliance recently held a community meeting about the munitions site which Jarboe attended.

"Invite us all," Raley said.

"We had members of your staff there," Riley said.

Deb Rey of Lexington Park summarized the atmosphere when she said, "This is a little bit of a hostile setting here."

jbabcock@somdnews.com